《The Company》


 1 - James Bailey

    The alarm blared and James sat up, smacking his head on the low ceiling. As usual. He grunted and turned off the alarm on the panel in the wall. He didn''t mind the pain in his forehead. Not today. It might be one of the last times he had to sleep in The Coffin. A smile threatened to ruin his sombre expression. The Coffin; the small cubicle beds for people like him. The unemployed, the poor. He crawled out of the small space, pulling his clothes out with him. Standing on the cold concrete floor, he quickly dressed, closed the cubicle and shuffled off to the bathrooms to make himself ready and as presentable as possible.


    Moments later he took the mono-rail downtown. His stomach tingled. Today was the day he would start his new job. Probably. And finally get money enough to rent an apartment. Or even get off Gordion. Eventually. That shit cost so much it was ridiculous. At least his job would take him out of orbit, to the nearby moons. He glanced out of the window, but the skies were dark with stormy clouds, as always. What a shithole. Always overcast, windy, and wet. At least the tall buildings in the city slowed the winds somewhat.


    He sat in the crowded car, staring at nothing just like everyone else. He didn''t get off until the mono-rail reached the very last station. By then, the car was empty but for an old woman who shuffled off in another direction as soon as they got off. He steered towards the edge of Platform 12, the ¡°land¡± they all lived on, along a smooth but narrow road, lined on one side by a metal rail, interrupted by lamp posts every now and then. Glancing back, he caught the old woman looking back at him. Odd. Did he look funny? Self consciously, he brushed off imaginary dirt from his jacket. Well, maybe not that imaginary. He snorted. Hopefully The Company didn''t mind too much. They knew he''d been unemployed for quite long anyway. Surely they didn''t expect perfection? Nervously, he continued the last bit of the road, the smell of seaweed and salt permeating the air, stronger here so near the edge. They''d told him on the phone that being on time was utterly important. They valued punctuality. The voice had sounded strange. Maybe an AI? He shook it off and hurried his steps.


    James looked up at the closed gates. Tall concrete walls, with one large grilled gate. Unwelcoming. Behind the walls a huge building rose. Ominous, dark concrete walls. Windowless. He looked around for a way to open the gate. A large red button sat on a panel by the gate. He hesitated only a moment before pressing it.


    ''Welcome to The Company,¡± a slightly warbled voice said. ¡°State your name and entrance code.¡±


    ''Huh?'' James said.


    ''Entrance denied.¡±


    Well, I''ll be damned.


    James pulled up the paper he''d written down notes on during the call the other day. Entrance code? Oh, maybe his employee number?


    He cleared his throat. ''James Bailey, five-thousand eight-hundred forty-four.'' He said it slow and clear, to make sure the obvious AI got it correct.


    ''Welcome to The Company. Please, enter.'' A loud clank preceded the opening of the gate.


    ''Well, that was easy, I suppose,'' James muttered. He stepped in and took a closer look at the large building. He couldn''t find any windows or doors. Just large, flat, grey walls, wet with sea spray, accompanied by the unending rush of waves off to the left. A yellow rail signalled the end of the platform. Some containers stood in rows a short way off, and seeing nothing else of interest, he decided to go there. As he neared, he spotted a dark square in the large building. Like an empty shop window without glass.


    Curious.


    He walked almost all the way up to it when a voice from behind stopped him.


    ''James Bailey?''


    ''Ah!'' He spun around, heart in his throat. ''Yes?'' He spotted a bearded man in an orange hazmat suit, standing by one of the containers, his visored helmet under an arm, his short brown hair flattened from wearing it. No wait. That was no container, he realized, taking another look. It was a ship. But it was the same size and shape as the containers. No wonder he''d missed it. Excitement tingled in his stomach. A real, if disappointingly small, spaceship!


    The man stared at him, all stern and grim-looking.


    ''Uh, and you are?'' James dared to ask.


    ''Bill,'' he grunted. ''You need to come into the ship and sign the contract on the computer.'' The man vanished through the ship''s square doorway.


    What? That was it? No welcome? No manager or at least an assistant coming to introduce the new employee? Strange. Just this angry guy?


    James shrugged and followed him through the doors. There was only one room. One large, red locker took up much of the space on the left wall, a rack with orange hazmat suits stood to the right, a large computer terminal occupied the far back, and beside it, some bunk-beds hugged the corner. Luxury would have to wait, it seemed. Still, better than The Coffins.


    Bill showed him to the computer and told him how to log in and sign the contract. Then he shook his head and clicked his tongue, as if displeased.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    What was his deal?


    ''There. I''m done.'' He glanced around and added, ''I think.''


    Bill gave a short nod, not even looking at him.


    ''Is it just us?''


    ''No. Rebecca and Dakarai will be here shortly.''


    Thank the great ones, James though. They couldn''t all be as grumpy as this guy, surely. That would suck.


    He stepped over to look out the door. Two figures approached from the gate, already suited up and ready.


    ''Should I change to the suit, or?''


    ''Suit yourself,'' Bill snapped.


    Was it meant to be a pun? He guessed not. ''Which one is mine?'' he asked, and pointed to the two suits on the rack.


    ''Whichever you want.''


    Alrighty then. James picked the one he thought looked most like his size. He assumed he''d just put it on top of his clothes. As he opened the suit to put his legs in, he was struck by the smell. ''Wow,'' he huffed. ''They don''t give you any special treatment, do they?''


    Bill side-eyed him, and he wished he hadn''t said anything. This company, what was up with them anyway? They didn''t even have a proper name, just ¡°The Company¡±. Oh well, whatever. The pay was good. He could survive one stinky suit. He pulled it on and zipped it up. Helmet could wait, yes, thank you very much.


    ''Good morning!'' Rebecca, he presumed, greeted as she walked in to the ship. She was younger than him. Maybe twenty-five or so. Pretty, with shoulder length, dark hair, brown eyes. But most important, she smiled. Not some grumpy oldie.


    ''I''m James,'' he said and extended a hand.


    She took it. ''Nice to meet you. You new too, or a veteran, like Bill?''


    ''I''m new too.'' He smiled. It felt good to not be the only newbie.


    ''Yo, man!'' Dakarai said, and grabbed his hand into a fierce shake, slapping him on the shoulder with his other.


    ''Ow.''


    The dark man grinned, white teeth showing stark against his skin. ''Nice to see ya. I''m also new. You can call me Dak, or Rai, if you want. Welcome to the team.''


    ''Sure, sure. Thank you.'' He couldn''t be more than twenty, max, James thought.


    ''Well,'' Bill''s rough voice interrupted them. ''Get in and close the doors. We''ve got no time to waste.''


    James looked at him, incredulous. How much of an ass could this guy be? In a hurry already, and they''d only barely had time to say hello. Or maybe he just really loved to work? Oh well. He guessed they''d get a lot of time to talk later. He faced the panel by the door. It only had two buttons. A green and a red one. He pressed the red one. The doors clapped shut and James jumped. Better not get a hand or a foot in the way when they close.


    ''He''s a bit of a sour apple,'' Rebecca whispered and nudged him in the side.


    James smiled. At least the others were nice. ''I''ve noticed.''


    ''Listen, and listen closely,'' Bill snapped. ''I don''t wanna repeat myself. You all work for The Company now. Whatever drove you to do that. But this means we''re on a tight schedule to reach the quota.''


    ''Quota?'' Dakarai asked.


    James got stuck on the reason for being there. Bill had said it like it was a bad thing, or their fault somehow. Hell? He worked here too.


    ''Yes.'' Bill pointed to a screen with numbers. ''They''ve lowered the quota for our team, since all of you are new. But it''ll get higher the better you get.'' He glared at them. ''It''s how much money we need to sell items for.''


    ''Sell?'' James said. He''d been under the impression they''d be collecting scrap for The Company, not sell it.


    ''The worth of the scrap, basically. You sell it to The Company. If you reach the quota in time, you''ll get paid, if you don''t...''


    ''Yes?'' Rebecca asked. ''Then what?''


    ''You get fired.''


    That sounded a bit harsh. ''Surely not the first time, right?'' James smiled, looking at the others who nodded in agreement.


    ''Yes, the first time. The Company doesn''t give second chances. You have to be, how''d they put it, punctual.''


    Well shit. James ran a hand through his dark brown hair. This was making him nervous.


    ''This also means, if we''re late, we''re fired. We cannot be late,'' Bill stated firmly. ''And that''s why we have to get started now. We''re already on the clock.''


    ''What?'' James exclaimed. ''We''re being timed already? But we haven''t even had a proper introduction yet! Where''s the manager?''


    ''Manager?'' Bill scoffed. ''I''ve never seen one.''


    How long have you worked here?''


    Bill looked to the screen, then moved over to the computer panel and started pressing keys. ''Long enough,'' he grumbled.


    ''That''s not very informative,'' James tried.


    What was up with this guy? And what was up with The Company? No manager? No proper introduction. Strange. Was it all done though the computer then? Oh well. He''d just have to accept it for now.


    Bill went to the other panel, below the screens, pressed some buttons and pulled a red lever.


    The ship shook, and the engines roared to life. Then James'' stomach dropped as the ship took off. The shaking and rumbling almost knocked him off his feet, and he decided to sit down before he became unwillingly horizontal.


    Dakarai grinned and whooped, holding on to the bunk beds in the corner. Rebecca smiled and sat, back against the opposite wall. Bill simply stood, steady as a rock.


    Well, he was used to it, and he wanted to show it off, James thought. No matter. They''d find their space-legs soon enough he assumed and smiled. He was finally leaving this hell-rock. Suddenly, his spirits rose and he waved a hand in the air, joining Dakarai in another whoop. His first real adventure had started.

 2 - 41 Experimentation, prt 1

    James sighed. The ship sailed silently and smoothly through space. But he couldn''t see it. There were no windows on the ship. He''d have liked to see the stars and the moons.


    ''Why so gloomy?'' Rebecca asked from her bunk bed.


    ''I wanted to look out, but all I can see here''s the steel walls.'' He waved a hand around for emphasis.


    ''There''s a camera outside the ship. You can look on the monitor,'' Bill offered unexpectedly.


    James almost flew to his feet. ''Really? That''s great!''


    Bill pointed up to the top right screen and pressed some buttons. The screen came alive. Everyone gathered in front of it, watching expectantly. But it soon became apparent the only colours were hues of green. Not exactly what James had hoped for. But he could see the approaching moon.


    ''Which moon are we going to?'' Dakarai asked.


    ''Experimentation,'' Bill said.


    ''That''s number forty-one, right?'' He grinned, maybe proud to recall that detail.


    ''What''s it like?'' Rebecca wanted to know.


    Everyone looked at Bill who kept his eyes on another screen.


    Was he gonna keep them in the dark, James wondered. Really? They had to know what they could expect. ''You gotta-''


    ''It''s the least hostile moon,'' Bill cut him off. ''But you still have to be very careful. So, whatever you do, don''t play some hero or run off on your own.'' He turned to face them, looking grim. ''You must do as I say when I say so. There are many dangers lurking around, both outside, and inside the buildings.''


    ''Sure thing, man,'' Dakarai said. ''We''re not dumb.''


    ''Maybe. But you don''t know what''s coming for you. If I say we''re going back to the ship, we leave immediately. If I say run, you beat it. If I say quiet, I don''t wanna hear a breath. Got it?''


    ''What kind of dangers will we face?'' James asked, trying to understand more.


    ''Got. It?'' Bill snapped.


    They all nodded.


    ''Good.'' He pointed at the large computer monitor. ''You can read about the creatures we find there. But you have to scan them first. In the right pocket of your suits, you all have a scanner. It''ll send information to the ship about creatures you find, and the position and approximate value of nearby scrap. Use it often.


    ''As we earn money, we can buy better equipment like flashlights and walkie-talkies. Until then, we have to stick together, work tightly as a team, and keep our eyes peeled. We will move together. Without the walkie-talkies I can''t stay on the ship and tell you where to go.''


    ''Wait, we don''t even get flashlights?'' James asked. Ridiculous. This company really cut corners, eh?


    Bill shook his head. ''You gotta buy them yourself.''


    ''Why would you stay on the ship? Isn''t it more efficient if we all go hunting for scrap together?'' Rebecca asked.


    James and Dakarai nodded in agreement.


    ''No. It''s more efficient to use the ship''s scanner. I can tell you where to go and if there are any... creatures out there.''


    ''Tell us about them,'' James said.


    ''Well... There are quite many. Some are harmless, others are extremely dangerous. You just have to listen to me when we spot them. There''s no point in me going through them all now. You don''t know what''s what anyway. Just assume the worst if you''re unsure.''


    The shuttle shook suddenly, and the roar of the engines increased. And so did gravity. The sudden weight had James'' knees buckle, and he almost fell. But then he caught his balance and looked up at the green screen. Cliffs and valleys swiftly approached, showing a sandy, rocky place filled with large boulders. Some dead or dying vegetation stood in sparse clusters here and there. He saw nothing moving.


    ''This is gonna be such fun!'' Dakarai exclaimed and grinned.


    ''I''m ready,'' James agreed, excitement tingling through his entire body. He hadn''t been anywhere other than Gordion before. The endless sea, flat man-made platforms with their tightly stacked, tall buildings, and few floral arrangements and small trees planted in large round pots in the squares were his only real experiences as far as geography went. This looked vastly different. Uneven, vast, varied. And no water in sight. Gordion was a fully water-covered planet. The platforms had been build where the seas were shallow. Plagued by strong winds and near constant rain, it was a dismal place to live on. This, Experimentation, looked much more inviting despite the arid climate. Why didn''t people live here instead? Clearly they''d tried at some point.


    ''Don your helmets, and don''t take them off until we''re back in and safe,'' Bill ordered.


    James grabbed his and put it on, wrinkling his nose at the smell of the suit. Had they forgotten to wash it? Or was the material just this stinky, he wondered. Terrible.


    ''This shit stinks,'' Dakarai commented happily.


    ''Yeah, they''re quite awful,'' Rebecca agreed.


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    ''Oh? I thought it was just mine,'' James said. ''I guess we''re all getting The Company perfume then.''


    They laughed. All but Bill. He just watched the monitors and pulled the red lever. The ship shook a final time and came to a standstill. The camera showed nothing but sand and rocks around them.


    ''But really,'' James muttered. ''It says something about how much The Company values their employees, right?''


    ''Yeah, man.'' Dakarai nodded and made a face.


    ''I mean... you''ve seen the commercials, right?''


    ''No?'' James said. ''I haven''t had...''


    ''Life is unexpected, death is assured!'' she said in an exaggerated positive voice. ''Adventure!''


    ''What, really?''


    She snorted and shook her head.


    ''We''re close to a facility,'' Bill inserted. ''About eight-hundred meters from the ship, to the north. Shouldn''t be too much trouble getting there. If you spot any creatures, scan them if you''re able and notify me, then keep your distance. They''re generally not afraid of humans as we''re not part of the natural fauna here.''


    ''What if they attack?'' Rebecca asked, and folded her arms, her eyebrows drawn into a worried expression. ''What do we do then?''


    ''You run.''


    James excitement was dulled by all this talk of danger and assured death. He hoped they wouldn''t meet any of the animals here. He wasn''t sure what he''d do if something weird approached. He wasn''t used to animals, especially not hostile ones. He glanced at the green screen. Nothing moved outside. He exhaled.


    ''We''re ready, let''s go!'' Dakarai said, already by the door. ''Can I open it? I''m opening it.'' He pressed the green button before anyone had the time to answer.


    The doors flung open and a sudden gust of wind blew in sand over the floor. Dakarai didn''t even hesitate before stepping out of the ship. ''Awesome!'' he shouted, his voice muffled by the helmet.


    Bill sighed, eyebrows knitted. ''He won''t live long, doing things like that,'' he stated and walked past, following Dakarai out.


    James and Rebecca shared a look, then they followed.


    ''It''ll be fine,'' James reassured her. Or maybe he was trying to reassure himself? Either way, he soon forgot about his worries as he stepped out into the bright sunlight of Experimentation and felt the sandy surface of the moon under his feet. Wide-eyed he looked around. Clear skies, hills, boulders as large as buildings, the sun. And then he saw it. The facility they were headed for. A large, square, complex sitting on a tall hill some way off, light glinting off glass and metal pipes.


    ''Adventure,'' he whispered to himself and set off. He wanted to get over there as soon as possible, find out what this place was.


    Panting as he climbed up the hill to the complex, James had to admit that he needed to exercise more. He wasn''t used to climbing hills, especially not in heavy hazmat suits. Sweat ran down his face, and he automatically tried to wipe it away, smacking a hand into the visor. He chuckled at himself.


    ''This was much harder than I thought,'' he commented.


    ''Yeah, I''m melting here,'' Dakarai answered from a few steps ahead. ''But it''s still fun though.''


    ''Yeah. I mean, I wonder what''s up there?''


    ''Scrap?'' Rebecca said.


    James snorted. ''Possibly.''


    Dakarai laughed, then he added, ''How the hell is Bill already so far ahead?''


    ''I don''t know. He''s an ironman. Been doing this for, God knows how long,'' Rebecca said.


    James looked up the hill. Almost there. The building rose above them on the cliff. It seemed much bigger up close. And in much worse condition than he''d first thought. Peeling paint, broken, boarded up windows, fallen roof panels lay strewn on the ground. Bill stood by a ladder leading up to the entrance, waiting. His posture made him look unfazed by the climb.


    He must be jacked, James thought, impressed against his will.


    When they had all managed to get up the rickety ladder, Bill stopped them from going in.


    ''Alright, remember what I said. We go together, and you will do exactly as I say when I say it.''


    James and the others nodded.


    ''Ready?''


    ''Hell yes,'' James said, accompanied by the other''s agreements.


    ''Alright. Let''s go. Pick up anything you find that the scanners indicate as valuable.''


    The heavy metal door squealed as it opened, revealing a dark interior, dotted with a few flickering lights here and there.


    It was still powered. Odd.


    The entrance space split into three corridors, each leading off to darkness and mysteries.


    James pulled out his scanner and turned it on. It only had one button. He pressed it. The scanner emitted a low buzz. Nothing showed on the small screen. He assumed it meant nothing of value was to be found in the entrance. They moved together into the right corridor. As they passed doors, they''d take turns to open them, even though Dakarai visibly twitched with impatience whenever he couldn''t go first.


    James opened the next door. A large open room with mostly empty racks and shelves came into view.


    ''Oooh, I bet we can find something here!'' Rebecca chirped.


    ''I already found something,'' Dakarai said and lept into the room, scanner held high. ''There!'' He pointed as he walked up to something on the floor some way in. He picked up a piece of metal. ''Is this right?'' He turned to Bill.


    ''Yeah, it''s good. Put it by the door, we''ll grab it on the way out.''


    Dakarai did as instructed.


    James looked around, pressing the scanner. Something on top of that shelf. He reached up and got a hold of something. A dusty glass beaker.


    What was the value in this? He supposed it was better than dust and sand. This place was almost entirely scraped clean already. Maybe he''d understand more later. He placed it by the door and look around some more in the gloom.


    ''Oh, look at that,'' Dakarai shouted from the far corner.


    ''Get it, it''s valuable,'' Bill ordered.


    James walked over. A large axle of some kind. He could see why that''d be worth something. He grabbed one side and helped Dakarai lift it.


    ''What was that?'' Rebecca said then, her voice tense. ''I heard something. Did you hear it too?'' She pointed to the door.


    James hadn''t heard anything.


    ''Yes. I did.'' Bill basically teleported to the door and carefully peeked out, Rebecca standing behind him, twisting her gloved hands.


    A slurping noise, or maybe a bit like clucking waves, came from the corridor. What was that?

 2 - 41 Experimentation, prt 2

    What was that? James and Dakarai set the axle down and tried to see out the doorway. Bill walked out and looked fearlessly down the corridor.


    ''It''s just a hygrodere,'' he commented after a moment. ''Nothing to worry about. As long as you don''t touch it.''


    ''Oh! Eww,'' Rebecca said as she exited the room.


    ''What is that thing?'' James said, following them.


    ''A slime!'' Dakarai shouted.


    Seemed like a decent description. A large greenish blob, as wide as the corridor and about a hand thick slowly edged towards them on the concrete floor, leaving a slimy wet trail behind it. Like a large snail. Very weird. Making a face, James stepped a little closer to it. Harmless, eh? ''What happens if you touch it?''


    ''You get eaten,'' Bill said offhandedly.


    ''Wha?'' He back-pedalled. ''Why''s it here? It''s disgusting.''


    Rebecca whimpered and scuttled further away from it.


    ''They are attracted to anything living in its vicinity. It''ll keep following us until we leave it far enough behind, or it gets to us.'' He glared at the blob. ''Let''s go, take the stuff with you.''


    ''Wait.'' Dakarai held up the scanner towards the blob. It was getting dangerously close to his feet.


    James had totally forgotten about the scanner the moment he''d spotted the weird creature. Feeling stupid, he decided to get a move on. ''Here, help me with the axle,'' he told Rebecca.


    Reluctantly she came back to them, and grabbed one end of the heavy piece of metal. Bill had his hands full.


    Where had he found those things? When? I have to be more attentive, James thought.


    Keeping their eyes on the slime, they put all their stuff outside the entrance door. Ready to leave, James was caught off guard when Bill told them to get back inside.


    ''Are you crazy,'' Rebecca spat. ''There''s a slimy thing in there. Following us! I''m not going back in there.''


    ''Girl, if you''re this afraid of a slime, you won''t make it. There are much worse things out there. Just get a move on. But don''t stand still and stare at them. You gotta be fast in this job,'' Bill snapped. ''The slime is slow and easy to get away from.'' He went back inside.


    ''Wow, what a douche-bag,'' Rebecca grumbled.


    ''Yeah, but maybe he''s right. It''s slow. We can get away from it easily, right?'' James patted her shoulder. Though unease crawled though him like he''d become an anthill. This was nothing? What more was there. He wasn''t sure he wanted to find out.


    ''I thought it was pretty cool,'' Dakarai said and entered again. ''I mean, I''ve never seen anything like that, have you? Maybe it could be a cool pet? But then...'' He kept babbling to himself as he moved further into the large complex after Bill.


    James shook his head. Totally crazy. A pet? ''Come on, let''s get going. We''re working, remember? And we have to stick together.''


    ''Yeah.'' She smiled and came with him back into the dark.


    They turned left this time. But James closed the door and glanced back every few minutes to make sure the slime didn''t creep up on them, unawares.


    They went through room after room, corridor after corridor. James wasn''t even sure where they were anymore. Or how to get back out. He hoped dearly Bill or Dakarai were better at remembering directions. This place was a maze. Besides, his pockets and arms were full of scrap.


    ''Bill?''


    ''Yeah?'' He stopped in a doorway, his face hidden behind the reflective visor.


    ''I can''t carry anything more. Rebecca needs to help me open the doors. Maybe we should get back?'' His arms shook, and his back hurt from all the walking, reaching and carrying heavy things.


    Bill glanced at his watch. ''Yeah. It''s about time to get back to the ship. We might need to go back and forth at least once.''


    ''Oh my God, I''m gonna die,'' Rebecca panted.


    ''Me too. I''m so tired I think I''ll crawl the last bit.'' He chuckled. He''d never worked this hard for anything in his life. This job really did suck. But the salary was good. It was totally worth it.


    ''Dak, move it,'' James shouted.


    Dakarai''s head popped out from a doorway further ahead, then he waved. ''I found this cool thing. Worth pretty much. I''m just gonna grab it.'' He vanished again.


    Bill grunted and shook his head. ''What is it?''


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    Suddenly the few lamps still working winked out and a background buzz James hadn''t been aware of silenced. The pitch-blackness lay heavy over him, and his entire body tingled with tension. They were gonna die, damn it.


    ''What happened? Oh my God. I can''t see shit!'' Rebecca''s voice pitched high, and he heard her shuffle about. ''We''re gonna get eaten by the blob-thing! Ah!''


    ''Calm down,'' Bill''s gruff voice sounded. ''Did you pull out the Apparatice?'' Bill called.


    ''I dunno. It''s heavy as a mountain,'' Dakarai grunted as he came into the corridor, carrying a big, warmly glowing power cell. It lit the corridor like a large lantern.


    ''Oh thank the great ones,'' James sighed. ''You put out all the lights, you s-'' He cut himself off before he said something he''d regret later.


    Dakarai laughed. ''Yeah, I noticed. But look at this! It''s valuable. I think it''s great.''


    ''It''s customary to take those last,'' Bill sighed. ''Well, we were leaving anyway. Let''s m-''


    A loud alarm blared, deafening them all.


    Rebecca screamed, and James squinted his eyes in a futile attempt to block out the loud noise without being able to hold his ears.


    ''Let''s move it! They''re gonna come for sure now,'' Bill barked. Then he ran. Arms full of scrap, he moved like an athlete.


    James grunted and panted as he tried to keep up, Rebecca helped him with her one free hand as they ran and held up the doors for him and Dakarai. Clearly Bill knew exactly where to go at least, James thought.


    Another sound behind them caught his attention then. A speedy tapping, as if from many small feet. He glanced over a shoulder as they rounded a corner, but saw nothing in the dark. His stomach knotted and adrenaline made his head spin. He somehow managed to speed up.


    ''Watch out!'' Rebecca yelled.


    James looked forward in the faint light. His eyes widened. The darned slime. Was it bigger? In a desperate manoeuvre to avoid it, he stepped up with a foot on the railing to one side and jumped over it as Rebecca continued forward on the other side. He dropped a few things clattering loudly to the floor. Dakarai was right behind him, using the same strategy to get past the slime. He was younger and faster, but the weight of the power cell pulled him down and he stepped on the thing. Just the edge, but it was enough. The young man screamed, and stumbled.


    ''Shit! Rebecca!'' James cried.


    She ran back towards them, empty-handed, grabbed Dakarai''s elbow and pulled him with her.


    ''Faster! Go go go! Almost there.''


    Panting and huffing, sweating rivers, James finally burst out through the front door. He didn''t stop until he reached the very edge.


    ''Shit,'' he cursed. The ladder. How were they supposed to get all these things down?


    ''Toss the things down an'' climb,'' Bill barked. He''d already thrown the scrap they''d left by the door earlier.


    Too tired to talk, James did as ordered. Then he swung his legs over the edge and climbed. The others were not far behind and the ladder shook dangerously with their weight. He hoped the thing wouldn''t follow them out.


    ''We''re clear,'' Bill panted as they landed.


    ''You sure?'' Rebecca stared up the ladder.


    ''They don''t usually come outside. At least not while the sun''s up. So we need to hurry up.'' Grabbing their scrap, he started toward the ship.


    The sun wasn''t far from the horizon. Had they been here that long, James wondered. No wonder he was tired. Long shadows stretched across the sandy hills and the sky held a warm red tone. Forcing his tired arms to cooperate, he picked up the scrap, leaving the heavy axle behind. No way he''d get that with them now.


    Dakarai huffed, hobbling after them. ''Oh man, this thing''s heavy. I''m never taking one of them again. That was a stupid idea. Well, at least we had light, I suppose.'' He grunted. ''Man, my foot. That shit burned...''


    James stopped listening and focused on setting one foot in front of the other. How did the man have air to talk? He was barely able to get enough in this suit when working. After this run, he was faint and shaking. His entire body trembled. If he made it to the ship, he''d praise the lord.


    About halfway there, they met Bill going the other direction.


    ''Did something happen to the ship?'' Rebecca asked.


    ''No. getting the rest of the scrap. I''m not gonna leave it behind if it''s not an eclipse.''


    ''Huh?'' James managed. But Bill had already left. ''Whatever,'' he puffed and hurried the last bit to the ship.


    They all flopped down on the floor, shoving the scrap up against one wall.


    ''Wow, that was crazy!'' Dakarai said and laughed. Then he grimaced, pulled up his left foot and inspected it. The hazmat suit had a hole in it, and Dakarai bled from his heel.


    ''You must be some kind of insane,'' James retorted. ''Are you okay?''


    ''Yeah, people do say that. It''s okay, you can call me crazy.'' He smiled, his face shiny with sweat behind the visor. ''Quite a stunt you did there though.'' He jumped with his hand on an imaginary fence.


    James laughed, despite his aching body. ''Yeah, I''m proud of that. Gonna feel it tomorrow I''m afraid.''


    Dakarai grimaced. ''We''re going again tomorrow, remember?''


    Rebecca and James both groaned. They had three days to reach the current quota. So they had to work for two more days before they could have some rest.


    ''Hey, get off the floor and help me here.'' Bill struggled with the large axle and some other pieces of scrap. ''Get this.''


    They all moaned as they pushed themselves up to their feet again.


    ''Get this in,'' Bill ordered.


    James and Rebecca grabbed it together, and Bill closed the doors behind them. Then he walked up to the terminal and pressed in some commands on the computer. The ship hummed, and the lights went out for a second. Then a warbled voice announced they could remove their helmets, the air had been purified.


    James sighed in relief and pulled it off immediately. Never had he thought he''d be so delighted to breathe some recycled shuttle-air.


    The ship shook and rumbled as they lifted off.


    ''We''ll stay in orbit, and get back down first thing in the morning,'' Bill said. ''Congratulations, you all survived.''


    James wasn''t sure if he meant it as a joke, or if he was fully serious. But he''d decided that, perhaps, adventures were overrated.

 3 - Jump, prt 1

    The following morning, James sat up in his bunk bed, groaning as every muscle in his body ached, strained and pained.


    ''My goodness,'' he muttered.


    Still, maybe it was better than hitting his head in The Coffin every day? Having a purpose, no matter how harsh and unforgiving this job was. At least he wasn''t bored, he figured.


    ''About time you wake up,'' a gruff voice muttered. Bill. James got up and stretched. Rebecca was up, and stood watching the large computer screen. Reading something. Dakarai sat on the floor, munching on something from a can. The previous evening they''d eaten canned food as well. He supposed it was what they got here. No fridge or anything, no heaters, no bathrooms, no nothing. They apparently had to order everything, and do business on the moons. Or in the facilities, if they dared. James ran a hand though his hair, a mess after last day''s work.


    ''Looking fabulous,'' Rebecca said as she turned.


    ''Like all of us, yeah,'' Dakarai agreed. ''Hey, this stuff ain''t too bad, all things considered.''


    ''So, everyone ready?'' Bill asked.


    ''Uh, I just got up. How about no?'' James said, trying to keep the sourness out of his voice.


    ''We''ve got a limited time, guys. Let''s move.''


    ''Right, right. ''Can I eat first?'' James grabbed a can and pulled the lid open. Some kind of meat and pasta drowned in sauce. It''d do.


    Bill paced impatiently the whole time he and Dakarai finished up.


    ''The hygroderes, they''re-'' Rebecca began.


    ''The what?'' Dakarai asked, swallowing his last piece of food.


    ''The slime,'' she explained. '' They''re drawn to heat and oxygen, they are hard to kill and keep growing. But, they can''t climb very well. So the best way to avoid them is to jump up on something. Also, they''re slow, as I think we all noticed.''


    ''Good to know,'' James said. ''did you read that on the computer?''


    ''Yeah, Dak scanned it. Would have been nice to have known about it beforehand.'' She looked at Bill. ''Any reason you didn''t tell us about it?''


    He shrugged. ''They''re not very dangerous. You lived, didn''t you?''


    ''Could have lost my entire leg, man!'' Dakarai pointed out. ''Would be hard to hunt for scrap on one leg. Like...'' He got up and pretended to only have one leg, jumping about. ''Very inefficient.''


    Bill snorted.


    ''Are you okay?'' James asked, noting only now that he had taped the hole in the suit and his shoe shut. ''Will that be sufficient?''


    Dakarai shrugged. ''We''ll find out, won''t we.'' He grinned.


    At least he''s positive. James nodded, then tossed the empty can in the pile of other scrap. ''I''m ready. Where are we going?''


    ''Back to the same place,'' Rebecca filled him in.


    ''Really?''


    ''We didn''t exactly empty the building,'' Bill said. ''There''s much more to get in there. We might need to find another entrance though, or go through the places we''re already looted.''


    ''But won''t the slime still be there?''


    ''Sure,'' Bill agreed. ''But they''re harmless.''


    ''Not quite. Do we need to remind you of Dak?'' James said, irritated. ''We''re not used to this, you might wanna show some compassion to our view of things here.''


    ''Why?'' Bill turned on him, scowling. ''I''ve been here long enough to learn that people don''t listen, and the best way to learn is to experience it directly. And if you live, that''s great. If you don''t, well, that sucks. Deal with it. It''s a dangerous job.''


    James bit back a retort, but took a short walk around the interior of the ship to calm down. It didn''t really help.


    ''Gear up, we''re landing,'' Bill commanded.


    James and the others grabbed their helmets and suits and got dressed. Somehow, the smell of the suit seemed worse. James almost gagged, but refrained from commenting on it.


    Deal with it. You can do this. It''s just the smell of fear and death, he tried to joke to himself. It wasn''t very uplifting.


    The ship shuddered and roared, then settled down. As the doors flew open they saw it had landed in the exact same spot as the day before.


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    ''How do you fly the ship?'' James asked as they exited.


    ''It''s on auto-pilot,'' Bill explained. ''All you need to do is give it instructions of which moon to go to. It''ll do the rest by itself.''


    ''Really? Neat.''


    ''What if it doesn''t take you to a good place then?'' Rebecca said.


    ''It seems to know where to go. The Company claims they''ve got a top of the line auto-pilot that''s specifically made to take us to the best locations.''


    ''I don''t trust them,'' James muttered.


    ''You''d be stupid to,'' Bill snorted.


    They cautiously entered the complex through a side-door, Dakarai leading despite his injury. Though it wasn''t as bad as James had thought at first. He only limped a bit. The lights shone here and there, were the lamps were still intact.


    ''Is there more than one power-cell in these buildings?'' James asked.


    ''Probably, since there''s light,'' Rebecca pointed out.


    ''What are they, anyway? Do they work forever? How long''s this been abandoned?''


    ''Ages. Now keep your eyes and ears peeled. And try to be effective,'' Bill said, moving behind Dakarai down the dusty corridor. The dust of Experimentation seemed to get in everywhere, mixing on the floor with peeling paint and rubble from breaking walls and ceiling.


    ''Woah, look out here. There''s a gap in the railing ahead,'' Dakarai shouted. ''It''s a long way down.''


    As they passed it, James stopped to peer down. It was indeed a far drop. He shuddered. At least there were no slimes in sight, and he didn''t see any tracks on the floor after one either. Maybe they''d have a calm day this time?


    ''Found stuff!'' Dakarai shouted ahead, reminding James to keep up with the rest. Glancing back over his shoulder, to make sure nothing was there, he jogged forward and entered a large open space with machines, railings, and a large open hole in the middle of the floor. Some carts and a wide conveyor belt led further into the dark.


    ''Oh, what''s this?'' Dak, opened a small central electrical module.


    ''Oh no,'' Rebecca said, standing by a few shelves, but looking towards Dakarai.


    ''What''s it do?'' Dakarai asked even as his hand moved towards the buttons.


    ''Don''t touch it, for the love of God,'' Bill snapped. ''It''ll probably turn off the power, stranding us in the dark again. Use your head.''


    For once, James agreed. ''Yes, please leave it!''


    ''Alright, alright, jeez, calm down guys. I was only asking.'' He held up his hands and walked away from it. Rebecca laughed and continued looking for scrap.


    James got to it as well, remembering to use his scanner. He found metal pieces and machine-parts, cramming what he could into his pockets. Dust flew up from the old shelves and carts as he rummaged about. Then a noise behind him made the hairs on his neck stand on end. Just a small scraping noise. Nothing really. He wasn''t even sure he''d heard it. He spun around regardless. Something glinted in a far doorway and vanished.


    ''Did you see that?'' James swallowed, his throat dry.


    Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked.


    ''What did you see,'' Bill demanded to know.


    ''Uh, not sure. A light? Something glinted, but it vanished.''


    Bill stared at the doorway James pointed to. Then he picked up a piece of machinery and beckoned for them all to come.


    ''You, keep your eyes behind us at all times,'' he told James. ''We go, now.''


    The serious tone in Bill''s voice had James shiver. What was it? He''d ask later.


    They moved out of the room like a practiced swat-team, Bill leading and James covering their rear, unusually silent, listening for any noises. But nothing happened, and after some time, Bill told them they could probably relax and get on with the looting.


    ''What did you see,'' Dak whispered and leaned in close, as close as their hazmat suits would allow, his helmet lightly tapping into James''.


    ''I don''t know. Something moved. I thought maybe they were eyes. But I didn''t get a good look.''


    ''Woah, creepy. Hope it was just a reflection or something.''


    ''Yeah, it could be.''


    Dakarai patted his shoulder. ''I''m sure it was nothing. Bill is just too paranoid.''


    ''I hope so. But something made him that paranoid in the first place, so I''m not sure,'' James whispered back.


    They moved on through the dark corridors and many, many empty rooms. Eventually, Bill said, ''I think we might have to jump.''


    ''Jump,'' they all asked in unison.


    He nodded. ''Let''s go back to where the railing was broken. If you recall.''


    ''Wait, hold up,'' Rebecca held up both hands. ''Are you trying to tell me,'' she laughed, ''that we should jump.''


    Bill nodded.


    ''Over the gap! The large hole we passed earlier?''


    Bill nodded again.


    ''Are you insane?'' She crossed her arms, and shook her head.


    ''For real?'' James agreed with her. It was suicide. Wasn''t it? He hadn''t really looked across, only down. But it had been a very long way down.


    ''There''s nothing here. We have to find more things,'' Bill said as if that was enough of an argument.


    ''Wait a moment, we can''t just risk our lives like that. We can keep looking along these corridors.''


    ''It''s already emptied, haven''t you noticed?''


    He had noticed. Every shelf, every room, everything was empty, just filled with dust. Apart from that room where he''d seen... something. He didn''t feel like going back there.


    ''I''ll jump, if you guys don''t dare,'' Dakarai said. ''No offence or anything. Just, if you don''t want to, I can go first and check it out.''


    ''You shouldn''t risk dying for us, or for The Company either,'' James said. ''It''s not worth it.''


    ''Do you realize what happens...'' Bill shook his head. ''Never mind. It''s a good suggestion, Dak. Let''s go.''


    Dakarai made a face, as if to say; I don''t know, and followed.

 3 - Jump, prt 2

    Once back to the broken rail, they all inspected the jump. A thick metal beam stuck out, making it possible to balance out over the drop.


    ''You can probably jump over from there,'' Bill said and pointed.


    Dakarai nodded, and placed a foot on the beam, holding on to the broken rail. ''What broke this though?''


    ''No idea,'' Bill said. ''Can you do it?''


    ''Yeah, yeah, no problem. I think.'' Dakarai set both feet on the beam and took a tentative step out, wobbling every so slightly.


    ''Please, don''t,'' Rebecca pleaded. ''It''s too dangerous.''


    ''No, it''s okay. I suggested it. It''s fine. I''m good at stuff like this.'' Dakarai took a few quick strides forward and jumped.


    James held his breath, releasing it only as Dakarai landed on the walkway on the other side, grabbing hold of the unbroken rail there. He easily swung his legs over, then waved back at them.


    ''I made it, guys! It was easy.''


    James could hear the smile, though his face was hidden behind the visor at this distance.


    ''Well done,'' Bill commended. Then, to James'' surprise, he too walked out on the rail and jumped. ''I''m coming with you. You guys, keep watch on that side and call if something happens.''


    ''Alright. Be careful,'' Rebecca shouted. Then they vanished into a doorway, leaving him and Rebecca standing in an empty corridor with flickering lights. Standing there watching and waiting, he soon began to wonder if this had been a good idea.


    ''Maybe we should have gone with them?''


    ''You mad too. Never.'' Her face was pale and her eyebrows were drawn into a worried frown however. ''Unless another of those slimes comes along,'' she gave a nervous giggle.


    James nodded. ''Unless.''


    Time crawled. The dusty old corridor, already spooky to begin with, started to feel oppressive and James looked back and forth all the time. How long had they been gone? The jump terrified him. If you misstepped, or lost your balance, the fall would surely kill you. He peered down into the dark.


    ''What possessed Dak to jump like that?'' he asked.


    Rebecca shook her head. ''No idea. He seems to be a bit crazy.''


    ''Yeah. Hey, why did you take this job? You seemed to be more well informed than I was.''


    She giggled. ''Yeah, you''re a bit clueless.''


    ''Oi! Don''t be mean.''


    She gave a quiet laugh. ''Oh, I... uh. I''m in debt. I had to take the first thing I got. And they called me first. The Company, I mean. So I agreed.'' She crossed her arms.


    ''Any regrets?'' James asked, curious about her situation, but feeling it might be rude to ask too personal questions this early.


    ''Oh yeah, many. All of them, in fact. This job sucks.''


    James chuckled. ''Yeah, sure does.''


    ''What about you?''


    A loud, hard rumble echoed down the hallways, coming from the other side of the abyss. Both James and Rebecca startled and looked towards the dark doorway on the other side. The noise stopped as suddenly as it had started, just a few seconds later. Heart hammering in his chest, James gripped the railing hard.


    ''Dak? Bill?'' he shouted.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ''Are you okay?'' Rebecca added.


    The silence lay thick in the air. James swallowed. Did something bad happen? Had they both died? They''d be lost without Bill.


    ''I think they''re coming!'' Rebecca yelled.


    James didn''t hear anything at first. But then, speedy, rhythmic thumps approached. Footfalls. They were running from something.


    ''Come on! Hurry!'' he called, hoping they didn''t have some monster after them.


    Bill jogged out from the doorway and stopped by the opposite rail. He glanced back just as Dak appeared. Then he put his legs over the rail and, holding onto the metal bars behind his back, bent forward, and jumped from a standstill back to the beam.


    He wobbled, tilted to the side.


    James gave a wordless shout, jumped out on the metal beam and grabbed Bill''s outstretched hand, his left holding on to the broken rail behind him.


    Rebecca screamed.


    Somehow, James managed to stay upright on the beam while Bill caught his balance. The abyss yawned hungrily below his feet and his knees wobbled, his throat constricted. Agonizingly slow, he backed up, one step at a time. It wasn''t until he stood on firm floor again that he could breathe properly. He heaved several deep breaths, his vision swimming before him. Someone patted his back.


    ''That was insane. Can''t believe you did that. I... just wow.''


    Rebecca. James nodded. Still watching the floor though the scratched visor. Noting how each little imperfection caught the light, or distorted his view ever so slightly, how each heavy breath fogged it up for a second. He''d been certain he''d die. But he hadn''t thought about it, just reacted. If Bill died, they were sure to as well. But once he''d stood there. Man, that was stupid. But it had worked. He was alive. He stood back up straight again and looked around.


    Dak had somehow gotten over the gap on his own. Impressive.


    Bill walked up to him, and held out a hand. James took it. ''Thank you. I''d have died without you.'' Then he let go and started walking down the corridor like nothing had happened.


    ''Well, I guess that''s it.'' James said to no one in particular.


    ''He''s a tough nut, that guy. Yeah?'' Dakarai commented and walked alongside him.


    James nodded. ''Maybe. Or he''s just as scared as us.''


    Dak laughed. ''Sure.''


    ''What did you find?'' Rebecca asked behind them.


    ''Nothing really. Just a few locked doors, empty corridors and a bloody sentry gun.''


    ''What!'' James gaped.


    A sentry gun? Here. Why? What had they needed that for? Maybe that was the reason people were no longer here?


    ''Yeah, I know right?'' Dak agreed. ''We turned around a corner, and there it was. I think my heart stopped for a sec.'' He laughed again. ''Bill pulled me back just as it started firing. Then we ran. He said it was best as the noise could attract things.''


    ''Things. There''s too many things here,'' James muttered.


    ''Let''s get back to the ship,'' Bill said from ahead. ''It''s getting late.''


    ''Is it me, or is time faster here?'' James wondered.


    ''Time''s the same, but the days are shorter on the moons,'' Bill answered.''


    ''That makes sense,'' Rebecca said. ''They are smaller than Gordion.''


    The rest of the way back out, nothing happened. Nor did they find any more scrap. Bill muttered to himself about being stuck, and getting fired. It worried James. Something wasn''t right.


    In the corridor leading to the exit, James noticed something in a corner.


    ''What''s that?'' He pointed.


    They stopped. It looked like a small pile of rubber.


    James walked up to it. Boots. Black, heavy boots. Just like... He looked at his own. Black, heavy boots. Shit.


    ''These are just like ours, guys. I don''t like this.''


    ''Oh shit. That can''t be good.'' Rebecca came up beside him and held out a foot, comparing the boots. ''Oooh, I don''t like this. Why are they here? Oh noo.''


    ''Sssh,'' Bill hissed. ''They''re just boots. Probably from less fortunate employees. Be happy they''re not yours.'' He pointed at the pile. ''Dak, check if one fits you. Yours is broken.''


    ''For real?'' Dakarai''s voice pitched.


    Bill sighed. ''Or not. It''s your choice.''


    ''Doesn''t it worry you in the least what left them there? There''s got to be at least... seven pairs here,'' James pointed out.


    But Bill had already opened the door, walking out. Sand blew in from the doorway.


    Dak looked at the boots for a moment, then decided to leave them where they were.


    They all walked out into the darkening evening. The sun had sunk below the horizon, but the sky still glowed a faint red. The winds buffeted them, thick dust clouds impairing their vision. James was glad for the visor protecting his face.


    ''Let''s go,'' he said.

 4 - Bugs, prt 1

    On the third day, James'' muscles protested with every move, and he groaned as he sat up. Bleary eyed, he took in the interior of the small shuttle.


    ''Well shit,'' he muttered.


    ''Good morning to you too,'' Dakarai replied.


    James managed some kind of grimace that was meant to be a smile. His head ached. ''I think I''ve become at least eighty.''


    ''Oh yeah, me too,'' Rebecca mumbled from the bunk bed above.


    James struggled out of the bed and pulled on the suit.


    Funny how fast you got used to things, he reflected. The smell didn''t bother him as much anymore.


    ''You''re all alive. I''m impressed,'' Bill said from over by the monitor.


    ''You too,'' James said, wondering if he''d forgotten about the save yesterday.


    Bill gave him a glance, then returned his attention to the screen. ''Last day to reach the quota. I''ve asked the ship to take us to a different location. I hope there''s more to gain there.''


    ''Oh, nice,'' Rebecca chirped, suddenly looking more alive. ''Maybe it won''t be as bad there.''


    ''Yeah, I really hope so,'' James agreed.


    ''Sure, it''ll be a walk in the park,'' Bill grumbled.


    Dakarai laughed. ''What a burn. I think it''ll be worse.'' He nodded as if he knew what he was talking about.


    ''Wouldn''t that be delightful,'' James snickered, hoping he was wrong, but fearing he was right.


    ''Landing the ship. Get ready.''


    ''I haven''t had breakfast yet!'' James shouted as he grabbed for his helmet. The ship was fast and he didn''t trust that Bill would wait.


    ''Don''t sleep in then,'' Bill said and gave a quick grin. It didn''t make him look friendlier.


    Groaning, they got ready, and as soon as the ship settled they ventured towards the new facility. It lay farther away from the ship this time, but the terrain was much flatter. No climbing hills, which James'' legs thanked him for.


    ''Man, I was so unprepared for this job. I will be dead in a few days like this,'' he complained.


    Bill gave him an odd look.


    ''What?'' James grouched.


    ''Nothing,'' Bill said, walking on ahead of him.


    The wind buffeted them, kicking up dust and obscuring their vision.


    ''Is it getting windier? I mean, yesterday I could barely see the ship when we got back,'' Rebecca said.


    ''Maybe a storm coming?'' Dakarai asked, looking up. But the skies were clear.


    ''I think it''s just windy here,'' James said, noting the wind-worn rocks.


    ''Hope so. A storm would actually kinda suck,'' Dakarai said.


    ''There it is!'' Rebecca pointed and they all looked.


    Through the hazy air, a large, angular edifice loomed. Larger than the first they''d been at. And hopefully, less looted.


    ''Let''s go,'' Dakarai said. ''We''ll find what we need here for sure.''


    After about an hour of walking through long dark corridors and empty rooms, James began to despair. Would they be fired after all? After just three days? Because they couldn''t find enough scrap? It was ridiculous. Surely they should be able to find something?


    A light metallic chink, stopped him in his tracks. He searched the floor. Something glinted in the dust. A key.


    ''Hey! I found a key. Maybe we can open some locked door somewhere?'' They had passed several locked doors on the way in.


    ''Great. We should backtrack to that one earlier,'' Bill said. ''It might not be looted since it''s still locked.


    ''Good idea,'' Rebecca agreed.


    They spun around like one, walking back with more vigour and hope than before, soon arriving at the locked door.


    James inserted the key and turned it in the old lock. At first, it refused to move. He grabbed it firmly and forced it as much as he could. It gave way suddenly and spun with a sharp click. The door squeaked loudly as they opened it.


    Bill twitched at the noise, James noticed. What was he afraid of? It wasn''t the slime, that was for sure. And what had he glimpsed at the other facility? He shivered at the memory.


    ''Look,'' Dakarai said and walked past. ''There''s things right here.'' He held up the scanner and it gave off its weird chirp. ''Yes, several things here.'' He began picking things up at once.


    James breathed a sigh of relief, letting go of the foul memory. It was fine. This place was untouched, and they''d be done in no time.


    They passed though the room and into another hallway. It split into three just a few steps in.


    ''Hey, should we split up into two teams? It''d be more effective,'' Dakarai suggested.


    ''I don''t think you''re rea-''


    ''Yeah, it might be a good idea,'' James interrupted. ''And we know what to do now.'' He walked up beside Dak, ready to take on the new corridor.


    ''You sure?'' Bill asked, a sceptical tone in his voice.


    ''We''ll come straight back if we see anything,'' James reassured him.


    ''Fine. It''s your hide.''


    Rebecca stayed by Bill, but looked for all the world like she wanted to come too. Probably how James would have felt too, had they left him with Bill. To be fair, she was probably safer with him. Oh well. He wanted to get going and be done with it.


    Together they walked a short bit down the corridor and found another door. Dakarai tested the handle and it opened with a loud thunk.


    ''Ooh, I think we might have hit the motherload,'' he announced and entered.


    James followed. A server room of some kind, full of computers. ''Nice.''


    But they soon realized most of the computers were tightly screwed in place, and they had no tools to get them out. So in the end, they only managed to pick up one measly controller they found in a corner. They continued down the corridor, checking out more rooms, getting further away from Bill and Rebecca.


    ''It''s pretty dark here,'' James said as they rounded a corner. Ahead, just one lamp still flickered, ominously, like in a horror movie.


    ''Creepy stuff,'' Dakarai said and walked on, unbothered.


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    ''Nothing affects you, does it?''


    ''Those spiderwebs might.''


    James huffed. He hated spiders.


    ''Whoa, those are big though,'' Dakarai said.


    ''Holy shit.'' James came up beside him, watching the ridiculously big web. It stretched from the ceiling on the right to the floor on the left. Too big. What kind of spiders did they have here? Some kind of alien tarantulas?


    ''Well, it''s just a bug. Let''s go.''


    ''Maybe we should turn back?'' James vainly hoped Dak would listen, but he simply ducked under the web and kept walking.


    ''Dak. Maybe we shouldn''t...''


    It was pointless. Dakarai wasn''t listening. Instead he was speaking to himself about another light ahead, like it was a great discovery. James hurried after him, unwilling to get too far behind.


    ''Dak,'' he hissed.


    ''What?'' Dakarai looked back at him, smiling.


    He enjoyed this, James realized. ''Nothing. Keep going.''


    Dakarai raised his eyebrows, shrugged and stepped over another large cobweb. ''Another door. Let''s goo!''


    The door thunked open, spilling light into the dark concrete hallway. Something shuffled further down in the dark. James froze, staring down the hallway.


    ''Dak, we should leave.''


    ''Bro, we just found this place. Look!''


    James dared to glance into the room. A large engine of some kind stood on the floor. A couple of boxes filled with smaller parts were stacked beside it. And in a corner, something large lay half-propped up against the wall.


    Dakarai grabbed the engine and hauled it up on his shoulders and huffed, ''Get the stuff in the boxes.''


    James went to pick one up, but something about the shape of the thing against the wall had his hairs stand on end.


    ''Just a moment.'' He stepped closer, nausea growing in his stomach. The shape was too... human. Squinting in the half-light, he leaned in closer.


    Webs. Something covered in webs. Like a cocoon. Carefully he reached out and poked it. Snatched his hand back.


    Nothing happened.


    ''Dude! What are you doing?'' Dak called. ''Let''s go back with the stuff already.''


    ''Yeah, yeah.'' James poked it again, a little harder. It fell over to the side, and James jumped back with a gasp. Then he took another step back. The webs had been stuck against the wall, and as the thing had fallen, they had pulled apart, revealing an orange suit. ''Ohshitohshitohshit...''


    ''What are you doing?'' Dak asked.


    James couldn''t believe it. That was a person. A very dead person. Spiders. This was a nightmare.


    ''S..ss...''


    ''Let''s go. Come on!''


    James nodded, spun on his heels and half-ran back to Dakarai. He grabbed the entire box and stumbled as he tried to lift it and run at the same time.


    ''Fuck.''


    Dakarai didn''t comment. Odd. James looked towards the door.


    ''Fuuuuck!''


    A spider-like brown creature the size of a horse blocked the doorway. Thick hairy legs, multiple large eyes, fangs. James froze.


    For a few precious seconds, nothing moved.


    ''Run!'' Dakarai yelled as the giant spider quickly moved into the room and stopped, the many legs splayed, blocking the doorway. Dakarai jumped back, still balancing the engine on his shoulder.


    James staggered back a few steps, then stopped as well. Warily eyeing the large creature, he prepared to run. There was no other door out of this room. They had to get around it somehow.


    ''Dak. I''m gonna distract it,'' James hissed.


    ''Whatcha doin''?''


    ''I''ll throw this,'' he slowly raised a small piece of machinery, ''into that corner over there. If it goes for it, let it get halfway. Then we run for it.'' He gritted his teeth, hoping it would work.


    Dakarai nodded and took a ready-stance.


    The many eyes of the spider stared at them, one leg tap-tapped the doorway, as if impatient. James swallowed.


    ''Go!'' He heaved the junk towards the corner with the corpse. The spider shot forward, straight at him.


    Shit.


    James dove to one side, and Dakarai ran in the other direction. Sucking in a breath, James skipped over one of the spider''s legs as it swiped towards him. He almost hit the wall and pushed away from it, dropping the box. The loud clash made the spider sidestep away from him, giving him the room he needed. With a whimper he bolted for the door.


    ''Come on, come on, come on!'' Dakarai called, beckoning with wild hand movements.


    James ran faster than he''d ever run in his life, a fast-paced tapping right behind him from the spider''s many legs. He expected the monster to snap at his heels at any second, a cold prickle running up and down his spine as he flew down the passageway, jumping and ducking between the webs, following Dakarai''s orange back.


    Then, Dakarai stumbled, his right leg ensnared in a web, the engine tumbling to the floor. James grabbed his arm in passing and pulled him with him, almost toppling from the sudden weight of his friend. The spider hissed, and it''s large fangs snapped millimetres from his helmet, its foremost legs raised, pushing him back with surprising force.


    James hollerred in terror, but somehow managed to stay upright.


    Dakarai kicked at the spider with his free leg and, to James'' astonishment, punched the monster in the face.


    The spider reared its legs and bit at Dakarai''s gloved hand. James'' yanked Dakarai away from it, and the sticky webs tore from Dakarai''s leg. They turned and ran, breathing heavily.


    They burst into the room where they''d left Bill and Rebecca only moments later, dashed through it and out into the corridor. The rapid tapping again right behind James.


    Ahead, he spotted two orange forms in the blinking lights, blurry from the perspiration on his visor, and tried to shout, but only managed a desperate hissing for air.


    Dakarai sped past them without a word, but pointed behind them. Bill immediately bolted.


    Rebecca looked up, her mouth forming an O of surprise.


    ''Spider, spider, spider, ss...'' James managed as he stumbled past.


    ''What?'' Rebecca gave a short, surprised laugh. ''Spider?''


    James couldn''t stop to explain, but he didn''t have to. Her terrified scream rang through the corridor like an alarm only a second later. And then she sped past him like an orange lightning bolt. Yelling at the top of her lungs.


    ''Holy...'' he managed between deep, burning breaths.


    Together they sprinted in the heavy suits until they no longer heard the tapping behind them. Then they ran some more.


    Sitting on the floor, James heaved for air like a fish on land, his heartbeat thundering in his ears, and his lungs burning with a fire he''d never experienced before. He looked at his hands. They shook, violently. He couldn''t believe they''d survived.


    ''Fucking spider,'' Rebecca panted, lying flat on the floor a short distance away from him.


    James didn''t have enough air to reply, the earlier close call repeating in his head. He had been so close to death he''d been knocking at heaven''s door.


    ''This job sucks,'' Dakarai spat after a while. ''Like, for real.''


    Bill nodded.


    ''How long... have you worked for The Company, James managed after a while.


    Bill looked at him.


    ''Well, how l-''


    ''I don''t know, alright.'' Bill got back up and glanced out the dirty window on the door to the room they rested in.


    ''You gotta know at least approximately, right?'' James pushed.


    Bill shook his head. ''It''s been... months. I think. I used to know, but...'' He fell quiet.


    Very cryptical. How had that happened? Maybe he''d taken a hit to the head, James reasoned. It certainly wasn''t too far out in this place.


    ''We have to get the scrap,'' Bill said then, in his usual grouchy voice.


    ''Are you serious?'' James asked. ''I can barely stand. There''s a giant spider there. Giant!''


    ''Do you want us all to get fired?'' Bill fired back.


    ''Why would we all be fired?''


    This was getting stupid. Was it for real?


    Bill walked up to him, a deep crevice forming in his forehead. ''If any one of us fails to earn the quota, we all...'' He hesitated. ''We''re all fired.''


    ''They can''t do that!'' James protested.


    ''Who''s gonna tell them? You?'' Bill laughed. ''Fine. I''ll go. Just get my body if I die.''


    ''What?'' James stuttered, wasn''t sure what to say. ''Are you mad?''


    ''Perhaps.'' Bill strode to the door and opened it. ''Time''s running. Gotta go.''


    ''Wait!'' Dakarai stood and brushed himself off from the dusty floor. ''I''m coming.''


    Bill nodded, then started walking.


    James sighed deeply, met Rebecca''s gaze, then with a grimace got up and followed, Rebecca in tow.


    Insanity. Going back to the monster. They''d die like this. But maybe that was the point? Bill had hesitated before saying they''d get fired. He''s noticed it before. Something wasn''t right. No, everything was in fact very wrong. But he was in too deep. It wasn''t like he could just quit or go home. He was stuck. So, perhaps Bill was right. They had to do their best. He could talk to the manager, perhaps, or someone, at The Company when they went back there tomorrow.


    ''Come on, hurry up,'' Rebecca called.


    The others had vanished around a corner. James lengthened his steps, even though the thought of meeting the spider again had his hands tremble. Well shit.

 4 - Bugs, prt 2

    The little search party soon got to the corridor with the cobwebs. No spider in sight though. James was sweating rivers in the heavy suit as he looked around for the monster every other step. He wasn''t sure he could outrun it again.


    ''Look! There''s the engine I dropped,'' Dakarai half-whispered ahead.


    ''Great. Get it. Was there more?'' Bill looked back at him. ''James?''


    ''Uh, yeah... I...'' He took a deep breath. ''I dropped a box, and there was another one on the floor in the... the room with the...'' he faltered, ''the corpse.''


    ''Let''s go and see if it''s still there. Dak, you can stay and wait here or begin going back with the engine.''


    ''I''ll wait, thanks,'' he replied with a sheepish smile.


    James didn''t blame him, he would have waited too.


    ''Warn us if it comes back, alright?'' James said as he passed by.


    Dakarai nodded.


    They carefully stepped into the room ahead. James stopped by the doorway, listening for noises in the dark further down the corridor. But the only sound came from the lamp above, faintly buzzing and flickering. He swallowed and entered the room, fearful of getting cornered again.


    ''Take this.'' Bill pointed to one of the boxes.


    James grabbed it, it wasn''t too heavy. He looked around, his eyes straying to the web-wrapped corpse by the far wall. He wondered how long that one had been dead. What a terrible way to go.


    Bill and Rebecca took the scrap from the other box, dividing it between them.


    ''Looks like we''re done here,'' Bill muttered.


    ''Can we go back to the ship now?'' Rebecca asked.


    ''Yeah. We''re full, and it''s getting late,'' James replied. ''Let''s hurry back to Dak, before something happens.''


    Bill nodded and motioned towards the door.


    James hurried to the doorway when Dakarai''s voice reached him.


    ''Guys? Guys, I think something''s here.''


    For the love of the deep, what was it now? Had the spider come back to finish the job? James couldn''t move for a second, his entire body stiffened and his skin prickling.


    Rebecca nudged him in the back. ''J, move. We gotta hurry.''


    ''Right. Sorry.'' He forced his legs forward down the hallway. The light flickered ominously, making the cobwebs glitter and vanish with it. Biting his lip, James carefully stepped around them. He couldn''t imagine how horrifying it would be to be stuck in a web, just waiting for that monstrosity to come and sink its fangs into you. Would it kill you before it ate you? Before it wrapped you up?


    ''This job sucks,'' he whispered to himself.


    Soon he spotted Dakarai ahead, standing with the engine on his shoulders, clearly ready to leave as soon as they got back. He kept looking around into the other two branching corridors.


    ''Hurry, guys. Something''s definitely here. I hear it from time to time over there.'' Dakarai nodded towards the left corridor.


    James looked that way, listening intently. Something chattered? He listened again. Quick shuffling and an odd noise reached him. Didn''t sound like the spider. Something else.


    ''Bill? There''s something...''


    ''I heard it. Get a move on.''


    ''Should we run?'' Rebecca asked, looking pale.


    ''No, I think it''s okay. Save your breath until you need it,'' Bill half-whispered.


    They left the noises and the cobwebs behind.


    When they had walked for a while though the badly lit corridors, James finally relaxed enough to dare talking again. He sidled up beside Bill.


    ''What?'' the man grouched and gave him a look that could kill.


    ''Uh, I really think you need to talk to us, man. There''s monsters everywhere. I''d really like to know anything that can improve our chances to survive.''


    Bill huffed and kept walking in silence.


    ''Please. Why won''t you talk to us?'' James hissed, trying to keep his voice down but his emotions got in the way.


    ''What does it matter?'' Bill snapped. ''It''s not gonna help you, but it might make you worry more and be less effective. It''s not gonna change anything.''


    ''What did we hear? You said it was okay.''


    ''Yeah, probably.'' He grunted, moving his grip on the scrap.


    ''What was it,'' James tried again, getting more and more irritated.


    ''Just a bug.'' Then Bill''s eyes snapped up to the ceiling.


    James looked up as well, fully expecting death to be there.


    The ceiling was empty.


    ''What the fuck was that for?'' James snarled.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ''Things sit in the ceiling sometimes. Don''t worry about it.''


    In the fucking ceiling? And he shouldn''t worry about it? ''Fuck you, man. If it''s dangerous, we need to know.''


    ''Just keep your voice down and...''


    They both looked back.


    ''What was that?'' Rebecca asked from ahead, her voice quavering.


    The odd chattering came from behind them again. Had the thing followed them? James gripped the box tightly, ready to throw it at whatever approached.


    ''Bill?'' he hissed.


    ''Let''s go,'' was the only answer.


    James almost exploded. ''Listen, this-''


    Something in the corner of his eyes. It came around a bend behind them, from an intersecting corridor. James spun towards it. In the gloom, it was hard to make it out. It was about as tall as a ten-year-old, but much heftier. Something grey, with a big round head and long antennae on top, spikes sticking up from its back. Long, thin legs and a pair of huge, red, faceted eyes.


    ''Oh my god,'' he breathed. ''There''s a... a... a bug!'' he called and hurried backwards.


    Rebecca looked back, shrieked and set off at high speed.


    ''Rebecca, wait!'' Dakarai yelled, and hurried after her.


    ''Calm down, it''s just a bug!'' Bill snapped, but nobody listened.


    The large insect ran forward, its long front limbs reaching out towards him. James gave a strangled cry, and bolted past Bill. He didn''t wanna be left behind with this thing.


    ''Wait!'' Bill hollerred, but he couldn''t care less right now.


    Soon, James heard Bill''s footsteps following him. He tried to keep track of where Rebecca and Dakarai had gone, following their shouts and receding footsteps.


    ''Dak! Rebecca, wait!'' he called. But didn''t get any reply. ''Shit, we''re all gonna die,'' he panted.


    ''Stop, you morons!'' Bill called.


    James did, but only to take in his surroundings. He wasn''t sure if they''d been here before or not. The corridor branched again. Had they gone left or right? His stomach clenched. Then Rebecca screamed again, from the right. He would have smiled if not for the fact that more screaming could mean more monsters. This was a hell hole. He ran, and Bill followed.


    Then, Rebecca came dashing back, almost colliding with him. He nearly dropped the darned box. ''Woah, calm down. What''s going on?''


    ''There''s another one! Another one!'' She tried to get around him, when Bill caught up and blocked her way.


    ''You idiots are going the wrong way. You''re gonna get us all killed like this! Where''s Dak?''


    ''Uh, there.'' She pointed back down the corridor where Dak came loping with the heavy engine.


    ''Jeez, great. Now can we all stop screaming and running?'' Bill demanded. ''We''re going back there, and to the left. You get lost, it''s gonna take longer and we might miss the ship.''


    ''Miss the ship?'' James asked, his knees weak. Did that mean what he suspected?


    ''Yes. If we''re not back on time, the ship will leave without us and we''ll be stranded here. So get a move on!'' Bill''s face was flushed an angry red, and his visor had almost misted over.


    ''Okay, let''s go,'' James agreed. He''d ask more later.


    The chittering came again, right behind Dak.


    Rebecca howled and almost bolted again, but Bill grabbed her. ''It''s here!'' she yelled and yanked her arm free, running again.


    ''For fuck''s sake,'' Bill huffed.


    Dakarai bolted forward to avoid the large bug. James turned and followed Rebecca, back in the direction Bill had pointed. He didn''t want to become bug food either.


    As they came to the intersection, the other bug stood in their path. Rebecca turned on a dime, and collided with Dakarai. Some scrap fell to the ground, bits and pieces flying all over the floor, clattering loudly. James jumped to avoid a big piece of metal. The bugs dove towards the dropped things on the floor.


    What?


    James danced sideways as the nearest bug swooped in to grab the metal piece by his feet. It snatched it up and stopped. The large red eyes locked onto him.


    ''Get back from it!'' Bill shouted. Rebecca screamed as the other bug got too close, and Dakarai attempted to pick things up in all the mess.


    James stared at the bug, frozen. What should he do?


    The bug growled. Large wings flared out from its back, and it lifted off the ground. It charged right at him. He ducked, and something clattered to the floor.


    ''Run!'' Bill shouted.


    The second bug had also taken to the air, buzzing angrily. Everyone fled.


    James had to pass the nearest bug to follow them, but as he did, it bit down on his arm. The sharp mandibles sheared through the suit and cut into his flesh. He screamed, sure he would die and pulled at his arm.


    The fabric ripped and hot wetness splashed down his arm and left hand.


    Bill threw something at the bug and it jerked back. James bolted.


    ''This way, this way!'' Bill pointed down a corridor and they all followed him this time.


    Running as fast as they could, the bugs soon stopped chasing them and they could slow their pace again. Heaving and moaning, they stopped for a breather in a large open room with doors.


    ''Okay, what were those?'' James tried once the fog on his visor had cleared and he could breathe without pain.


    ''I call them loot bugs,'' Bill said. ''You''re bleeding,'' he added as an afterthought.


    James nodded and looked down. It may have been worse than he''d suspected. Dark stains had formed on the floor where he''d stood. As if it had waited for his attention, his arm began pounding paintfully with each heartbeat.


    ''Well, great.'' He looked around. ''Anyone got some tape?''


    They shook their heads.


    Better and better. ''Well, I''ll live. Let''s leave this place.''


    ''They are usually harmless,'' Bill added. ''They want the loot, but if you keep a little distance from them, they don''t care about you. Or, you can sacrifice a piece of cheap scrap to them to keep them occupied.''


    ''Would have been good to know beforehand,'' James snarled.


    ''Yeah. I mean, I panicked, thinking they were gonna kill me,'' Rebecca agreed. ''Had I known, I wouldn''t have run like that.''


    ''You can never run like that!'' Bill growled. ''You need to be careful and not just blindly dash into whatever hides around the next corner.''


    ''Alright, everyone, calm down. We''re all alive, we''re not too badly hurt. We still have most of the scrap. Perhaps it''s time we try to get back to the ship? Yeah?'' Dakarai said in a mellow tone.


    ''Yeah, I guess,'' James agreed.


    Bill and Rebecca nodded too.


    Rebecca, despite seemingly the most scared of them, went up to the door and cracked it open, looking out for danger.


    ''I don''t see anything,'' she whispered and opened the door fully.


    ''Left,'' Bill said.


    They walked out into the dark corridor and followed Bill''s directions. James hated the dark sections. While there were lights here and there, and power in the buildings, many were broken and sometimes long parts were left in total darkness. They had to walk slow, running their hands along the walls. He''d never wished for a flash light so bad in his entire life.


    The rest of the way out to the front doors went by uneventful, and James almost praised the lord as they opened them. That was, until he realized it was fully dark outside and a thick fog lay between them and their ship.


    ''How will we find the way through this?'' he asked, and a desperate laugh escaped him. This job sucked.

 5 - The Company, prt 1

    James walked through the dark, fog obscuring his vision to near nothing. He kept his eyes on the dusty ground. His left arm throbbed with pain, but the bleeding had more or less stopped. Exhausted, he stumbled in the darkness.


    ''Hey, keep on your toes,'' Dakarai said and put a steadying hand on his shoulder.


    ''Thanks. How far to the ship do you think?''


    ''No clue. But sure feels like we''ve walked for longer than it took to get there, yeah?''


    James nodded. It sure did. A large cliff loomed on the left side. Had they passed a large cliff like that earlier? He couldn''t recall. Sand, cliffs, fog. Some dead trees reached upwards with rattling branches. Something growled.


    Wait, what? He held out a hand to stop Dakarai and hushed.


    ''Did you hear that?''


    Dakarai nodded. They stood like frozen, looking around for the source of the noise.


    A dark shape approached from ahead and James gasped. Dakarai jumped back. Something gave a guttural bark from the right, and rapid footfalls approached.


    ''Shit!'' James and Dakarai uttered in unison.


    ''Sshh!'' A sharp whisper from the approaching shape.


    James realized it was Bill, crouched and sneaking.


    ''By the d-'' James snapped his mouth shut, realizing his error.


    Bill shook his head violently, and backed away from them. The footsteps on the right neared, and something like heavy breathing floated on the air. The hairs on James neck stood on end.


    Bill beckoned, and moved farther ahead, vanishing into the foggy dark. James and Dakarai followed his example and crouched. Every muscle strained, and every nerve tingled.


    The heavy breathing and footfalls came closer. James looked around and spotted a large, darker shape moving alongside them, keeping pace. He almost cursed, but bit the words back.


    What was that thing? It was huge!


    Dakarai stepped on a stick on the ground. The little dry snap boomed loudly in James ears. The beast on their right twisted and threw itself towards them. James yelped in fright as the thing passed them by, only a metre or so away. The sound had the creature spin towards him and charge again. James sidestepped, sucking in his breath. The monster flew past, right in front of his face. He swallowed but managed to keep quiet this time. The monster stopped, and swung its large head back and forth, waiting.


    No, listening.


    James didn''t dare move, his eyes glued to the large dark creature moving through the fog.


    Then someone shouted ahead. Rebecca. What was she doing?


    The monster sprang forward, growling, leaving James behind. He didn''t waste any time.


    ''Dak?'' he whispered, and looked around.


    ''Here.'' Dakarai had crouched down by a large rock on the other side of the monster.


    Thank goodness he was alive.


    James pointed towards the noise and Dakarai nodded. They crept forward, following the monster''s path. If Rebecca was there, surely the ship must be there too?


    It didn''t take long before the lights on the ship''s roof gleamed ahead, like a beacon of false hope in an ocean of murkiness. Still, it was the only thing they had. Hurrying their steps, they half-ran as quietly as they could to the side of the ship.


    Dakarai placed the engine on the ground and climbed the short ladder up to the ship''s walkway. Then he beckoned for James to give him the engine. It was heavier than he''d though, but he managed to push it up. Then he did the same with the box of scrap. When all was up, he started climbing. The monster rounded the ship, huffing and snarling.


    James froze, hanging on the ladder. Dakarai held out a hand to him, reaching. James didn''t dare move.


    The monster approached, and breathing heavily, passed by so close James almost touched it.


    Then he grabbed Dakarai''s hand and climbed up, every minuscule sound making him cringe. They got up safely and walked along the walkway around the ship, slowly, one step at a time while the growling monster prowled around them.


    Finally. Safe!


    Taking a few last, quick steps around the corner and up to the doorway of the ship, he halted.


    The doors were closed.


    ''Oh no,'' he breathed.


    ''Open the door!'' Dakarai hissed and waved his hands at the camera above.


    Surely they couldn''t hear that through the thick metal doors.


    But the monster heard.


    Charging them, the large beast''s round maw opened and hundreds of sharp teeth gleamed in the light of the ship.


    ''Open up!'' James hollerred, panicking.


    ''Open!'' Dak joined, banging the doors with his fists.


    The hissing of the doors and the roaring of the beast right behind them mixed into one as James and Dakarai fell forward into the bright safety of the ship, hands grabbing and dragging them inside. The doors snapped shut, accompanied by loud roaring and scratching outside.


    ''Holy mother of everything holy,'' Dakarai cried out.


    ''Start the ship!'' James barked. ''Go go go!''


    The ship rumbled and shook. Someone had pulled the lever. He lived.


    ''Get the scrap,'' Bill ordered. The doors opened again, and a sharp wind battered them.


    ''Are you insane?'' James called as Bill went outside into the blast.


    ''Hurry,'' was the only reply. Rebecca dashed past and helped pull their stuff inside. James got to his senses enough to get up and help pull on the heavy engine. They had barely gotten it inside when the doors shut again, protecting them as the ship left the atmosphere.


    Later, James had had his arm cared for as well as possible, and they all sat around on the floor and the lowest of the bunk-beds, eating from their last cans of food in silence. Somehow, the canned goods taster better than anything James had ever eaten in his life. Possibly because it tasted like life itself. He''d managed to survive somehow. Incredible. That reminded him of something and he looked up at Rebecca on the bed, sitting beside Dakarai.


    ''Thank you for distracting that monster,'' he said around mouthfuls.


    ''Don''t worry about it. It was terrifying,'' she replied with a half-hearted laugh.


    ''No, really. We would have died if you hadn''t.''


    Dakarai nodded. ''James was this close to being eaten!'' He pinched his thumb and forefinger together, leaving no space between them.


    ''Well...'' James objected weakly.


    ''This. Close.'' Dakarai said again, shoving his fingers right in front of Rebecca''s nose, making her laugh.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ''It was pretty close, yeah,'' James snorted. How could they sit here and laugh? They''d nearly died. Maybe it was the only thing they could do? Life was strange. But some things could have made surviving easier, couldn''t it? He looked over at Bill, his eyebrows drawing together.


    ''What?'' Bill grumbled over his canned food.


    ''What was that creature out there?'' James asked, deciding to try and keep civil.


    ''A dog.''


    That was no bloody dog!'' he snapped, forgetting about being civil in a heartbeat.


    Bill nodded. ''''Eyeless dogs, they''re called. They can''t see, you see.''


    Really? James drew in a deep breath. Had to calm down. This couldn''t be good for his nerves.


    ''Alright. So, they''re blind. Got it.''


    Bill nodded. ''All you gotta do it keep quiet and they''re no problem.''


    ''Like the bugs, then?''


    ''Not at all. The bugs are much friendlier. Just keep a little distance and don''t take their scrap and they won''t hurt you.''


    James glanced at his arm, bandaged with duct tape and some cloth. ''Yeah, very friendly.''


    Bill grinned. ''They don''t swallow you whole, do they?''


    James snorted. ''Alright. We need some information. You need to talk to us.''


    Bill''s expression returned to his normal sour look. ''What do you need to know?''


    ''First, when we met the loot bugs, you mentioned something about creatures in the ceiling.''


    ''Yeah, spiders. And sometimes the face-huggers. The...'' he chewed on some food thoughtfully for a moment, ''snare fleas.''


    ''Face-huggers?'' Dakarai echoed.


    ''Yeah. They hang in the ceiling and drop down on your face sometimes. If you''re quick, you can get them off. Unless you''re alone. Which is another reason not to blindly run off like morons.''


    ''Well, you didn''t tell us about them, so we couldn''t know now, could we?'' Rebecca shot back, pointing at Bill with her spork.


    Bill shrugged.


    ''Okay, fine,'' James said. ''What about the ship leaving us then?''


    ''We''re on the clock. I''ve told you.''


    ''That''s different,'' James protested. ''Why''d the ship leave?'' He looked around their confined space, even more cramped now, full of scrap on the floor.


    ''If we''re not back by midnight, the ship''s autopilot ¡°leaves to minimize risk of damage to The Company''s proprietary hardware.¡±''


    ''For real?'' Dakarai, asked, his mouth agape. ''But what about us?''


    Bill gave a dry laugh. ''We''re expendable.''


    A cold ran though James. Expendable. Well, he supposed it made sense. Or they''d have gotten way better and more gear before going to the moons. They didn''t even get bloody flashlights.


    ''What happens if we don''t meet the quota?'' James prodded. He had to know the truth, even if he had a nagging suspicion. The Company didn''t exactly have clean flour in their bags.


    ''You get fired,'' Bill said flatly.


    ''Fired?'' James pushed.


    ''Yeah, you know.''


    ''I don''t. I don''t know what that means in The Company terms.''


    Bill hesitated, took another spoonful from his can.


    ''Please, be honest with us,'' Rebecca shot in. ''Surely it can''t be worse than what we''ve seen out there?''


    ''I guess,'' Bill sighed. He pointed to the doors of the ship. They all looked at them. ''They will open.''


    ''And?'' Dakarai said.


    ''When we''re in space,'' Bill added.


    ''What the fuck?'' James almost choked on his food. ''They''ll kill us!''


    ''Yeah, pretty much. Probably claims some monster got to you first though. If someone cares to ask, I mean.'' He shrugged again, as if it didn''t matter.


    Or maybe he just wanted to seem like he didn''t care? Maybe it was easier that accepting the horrific situation they were all in. James skin itched and his head pounded. This was too stressful.


    ''Holy crap,'' he breathed. ''We''re in deep shit, aren''t we?''


    ''Yeah, you are,'' Bill agreed.


    ''Hey! You''re in this too, you know,'' Rebecca said.


    ''I know,'' Bill snapped.


    ''How long have you been here?'' James pressed.


    ''I don''t know, alright,'' Bill growled. ''You''ve already asked.''


    ''How can you not know?'' Dakarai asked. ''Surely you''d know if it''s a week, a month, or half a year? I mean, it''s not exactly you average job.''


    ''How long have you agreed to work for The Company?'' Bill asked.


    ''Well, I... uh.'' Dakarai made a face. ''I''m not... sure?''


    James thought about it, but couldn''t remember either. He got off the cold metal floor and walked over to the terminal. He''d signed the contract on the computer, surely he could look it up there?


    ''Bill, how do I see my contract again?''


    He grumbled something but stood and came over. He helped James log in and type the correct commands. James stared at the screen for a long time. The green text glowed, taunting him.


    ''How long are you contracted for,'' Dakarai asked.


    James almost couldn''t speak. How had he forgotten this? It was crazy. He''d die. He licked his lips with a tongue that felt like a piece of dry paper.


    ''A year,'' he rasped.


    ''Say again?''


    ''A fucking year. How... I don''t remember signing on for a year. How could I have agreed to that? What is going on here?'' He twisted around, pointing at Bill. ''You know what''s going on. Tell us, this is crazy! There''s no way I''m gonna survive for an entire year!''


    ''I don''t know. And I don''t care.'' Bill leaned back against the wall and finished his meal.


    James simply stood there, dumbfounded, cold to the core.


    ''You must know. You do!''


    ''If I ever did, I''ve forgotten.'' Bill said.


    ''And you don''t find that creepy as hell?'' James shouted.


    ''I don''t care!'' Bill shouted back. ''Now shut up and sit down. We''ll be back on Gordion tomorrow.''


    ''Oh, that''s right!'' Rebecca said, relief filling her eyes. ''We can leave.''


    ''Hell yeah,'' Dakarai agreed.


    James nodded. Screw the contract. ''Yeah, we should all just leave. They can''t stop us.''


    Bill snorted.


    ''What?'' James blood boiled. ''If you know something, speak up, you ass.''


    Bill''s face reddened. ''Fuck you, kid! You don''t know what it''s like. You''ve only got a first taste of working for them. You think you can leave? Huh?'' He dropped his can and prodded James in the chest. ''Why don''t you try it? I''d like to see you try.''


    ''I think I might!''


    ''You think a company who''s willing to throw you into space for earning them too little money will let you just walk?'' Bill snorted.


    ''What? So you just accept it and stay?''


    ''Yeah, I do.''


    ''So you''re suicidal then? ''Cause that''s what this is.''


    ''No, I''ll live. I just don''t care if you die!'' Bill pointed at James with his spork, hand shaking.


    ''I saved your ass,'' James growled.


    ''And I''ve saved yours. Get over it.''


    ''You''re such a coward,'' James spat.


    ''I needed a job, just like you. Now I''m stuck. You''re not as original as you think you are.''


    ''Great. And what happened to your last crew? Where are they?'' The words were out before James had the time to think about it. He regretted it, but was too angry to take it back. Too exhausted, and too full of all the crap he''d endured for the past three days. He needed an outlet.


    Bill fumed. ''They died, asshole.''


    ''Because of you sitting in the ship instead of helping them, eh? Like you said you wanted to do for us?'' He shouldn''t have pressed it, but some devil in him couldn''t stop.


    ''Having someone on the ship is more helpful than you know.''


    ''Helpful to you.''


    ''It''s not safe on the ship, if that''s what you think,'' Bill growled.


    ''Oh? So you''re totally in danger, sitting here with the doors closed, eh?''


    ''Those dogs, do you remember them?''


    James did, and he knew he''d have nightmares about them.


    ''You can close the doors!''


    Bill raised a fist, pulled back for a punch. James almost welcomed it.


    ''Guys, guys, can we not? Please?'' Rebecca jumped in between them. ''We''re almost home, calm down. We made it.''


    Dakarai grabbed Bill''s hand and forced it down. Then gently led him a few steps back, talking softly.


    James flopped down on the narrow bed beside Rebecca, taking several deep breaths to calm down. Though he didn''t feel like calming down at all. He wanted to throw punches. Maybe open some doors.


    ''What''s t-''


    ''Ssshh!'' Rebecca patted his arm gently. ''Don''t say anything. We''re all in the same boat. You''ll regret it.''


    She was right, he knew. He already did. But it did nothing to calm his raging feelings.


    ''Listen,'' he whispered. ''I''ll see if I can talk to some manager at The Company, then I''ll try and leave. Are you coming with?''


    ''Yeah, yeah. I''m game,'' she said under her breath. ''But James, be careful. I don''t think Bill made those things up.''


    James nodded. He didn''t think so either. He wished he had some space. He wanted to be alone. But that was a luxury he no longer had. Sighing, he decided to take his pounding head and climb into his bunk. Not that he thought sleep would come anytime soon, though.

 5 - The Company, prt 2

    Twisting and turning, sweating and with a loudly beating heart, James gave up and opened his eyes. Had his heart ever been this loud? He couldn''t sleep because he kept hearing his racing heartbeat, thumping loud and clear in his ears, making him feel like he would die from a heart attack. The others had somehow managed. But their slow, deep breaths and occasional snores didn''t help him. On the contrary. He sighed. Maybe he couldn''t sleep because of the fight? He felt terrible about it. He shouldn''t have pushed Bill like that. It had been immature. But everything had just been so overwhelming. So desperate and... hopeless. He decided to apologize first thing in the morning.


    Growling. Deep, guttural growling. Soft padding footsteps. James held his breath. Was it the dog? Oh hells. Snuffling and heavy breathing, then a looming shadow, moving towards him. He tried to hide, pulling up the covers. But he couldn''t tear his eyes away from the beast. Drool from the open maw pattered onto the floor. Teeth glinted in the pale light from the computer screen. The dog closed in on him, it''s large head swinging back and forth, its stinking breath gagging him. Then the dog made an odd noise. Beeping.


    James sat up, blinking in confusion, sweaty and with a thundering heart.


    ''Wha...?''


    The ship bleeped an odd short melody and shuddered to a standstill. He''d never heard that tune before. He wondered what it signified.


    A pair of legs came down from the bunk bed above, and James started, the dream coming back to him in full force. Holy shit, he hadn''t been aware of it even being a dream. Those creatures would haunt him for a long time, he was sure.


    ''Morning,'' Dakarai said happily and landed with a thump on the floor.


    ''Mmh,'' James mumbled.


    ''Rise and shine, we''re home,'' Dakarai added.


    That''s right. We''re back at Gordion. Or, at least we should be. James took a deep breath and let it out slowly. They were alive, they had landed. All they had to do now was sell their scrap and then talk the manager. If there was one. Bill didn''t seem to think so. But surely there was someone they could talk to?


    ''Let''s get moving,'' Bill grated from the door and pressed a button. The doors hissed open, and the the familiar, sea-smelling wind of Gordion blew into the small ship.


    James'' mood soared. Had he ever been happy about being here before? He didn''t think so. Hurrying, he got up and dressed along with Dakarai and Rebecca.


    As soon as they were done, they grabbed as much scrap as they could carry and followed Bill out to the windy docks. Sea spray made the concrete slippery and the overcast sky looked as welcoming as ever. Still, James were happier than he''d been in a long time about being home. He didn''t even think he''d ever seen Gordion as his home. Just a place to exist until he could find a way off the planet. But now, staying didn''t sound too bad.


    He walked up to the large, insanely tall Company building. Towards the square window he had spotted on his first day. Bill and Dakarai had already placed their stuff on the counter there. He didn''t see anyone on the other side.


    ''Hello?'' James called as he placed his stuff on the counter along the others''. Nothing answered. Odd.


    ''I wouldn''t do that if I were you,'' Bill said behind him.


    ''Why not?''


    ''It doesn''t like noise.''


    ''It?'' James looked back over the counter. There was nothing there. In fact, there wasn''t even a door. How would anyone get there? The only thing he saw in the shadowy alcove behind the counter was a much smaller hatch. Closed.


    ''What''s all this? Where''s the door?'' he asked, looking back at Bill again. Seeing the man reminded him he had to apologize. He bit his lip.


    ''This is where we sell the stuff,'' Bill said needlessly.


    ''Yeah, but... there''s nobody here?''


    ''Yeah, and what''s that hatch about?'' Rebecca added, leaning in over the counter to see better.


    James heard something. He couldn''t quite place it. Like of something large moving, or sliding over the floor perhaps.


    ''Rebecca, get back. I don''t like this.''


    ''I would advice you all to step back as soon as you''ve unloaded the scrap. Let''s go get the rest,'' Bill said.


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    James nodded and walked back to the ship. Something about The Company building freaked him out. But maybe he was just on edge after everything he''d bee through the past three days. It wouldn''t be too far off to assume he''d gotten mentally scarred and heard things. He chuckled to himself. That was probably it.


    ''What''re you laughing about?'' Dakarai asked, as he jogged past.


    Jogging? How did he have any energy left?


    ''Just thinking that I''m going insane, don''t worry about it.


    Dakarak laughed out loud. ''Yeah, man. You and me both. Let''s get the engine.''


    James helped him carry the heavy thing back to the counter.


    ''All ready?'' Bill asked.


    ''Yeah, we''ve emptied the ship,'' Rebecca said as she came carrying the last few bits of scrap. She put them on top of all the other things they''d piled, and took a step back. ''There!'' She brushed off her hands as best she could and looked at Bill. ''Now what?''


    Bill hit a small brass bell to the right of the counter.


    ''Step back everyone. More.''


    For once, they all did as they were told. Probably too unsure of this strange place to dare do anything else.


    Something rumbled from behind the wall.


    ''What was that?'' James whispered.


    Dakarai shrugged. But James watched Bill''s reaction. He stood a few steps back, watching the hatch intently. Then he went forward and slapped his hand onto the bell a few more times. The light dinging somehow sounding ominous in the salty, windy air. James shuddered.


    ''Oh, come on,'' Bill grouched and hit the bell again.


    The hatch opened.


    Bill quickly jumped back several steps. Farther back then the rest of them.


    ''Maybe we should move a little more?'' James asked and nudged Rebecca. She nodded and followed.


    James looked at the darkness within the hatch, wondering what would happen.


    Then, something whipped out. Rebecca squeaked. James couldn''t believe his eyes.


    Thick, long, deep red tentacles shot out, encircled the scrap they''d piled on the counter and with loud rattling pulled it all into the hatch.


    For a few seconds, they all just stared at it. What the hell had just happened?


    The hatch shut.


    James swallowed. His throat had gone as dry as a desert. What the hell?


    ''Dear Lords of the seven deep seas, what was that?'' Dakarai hollerred then, breaking the tense silence. They all started asking questions, bombarding Bill with them. What was it? How big was it? Where there no people in the building? Wouldn''t they get paid now?


    Bill raised his hands. ''Calm down.''


    They stilled, but James could feel their terror and their questions simmering under the surface.


    ''That... thing is what takes the scrap. That''s how it usually goes. It comes out, takes the stuff in, then we get paid. I don''t know what it is. I don''t know what it does with the stuff. Okay? That''s all I know.''


    ''Is that some alien monster? Is it something from Gordion?'' Rebecca asked, her face pale as a sheet.


    ''I don''t know.'' Bill shrugged. ''Look at that screen.''


    James looked back towards the building. He hadn''t even noticed a screen. But there, hanging above the bell on the counter, was a large screen. Red letters came alive on it, showing their earnings. Then a mechanical voice spoke from some speaker somewhere.


    ''Your hard work is invaluable to The Company. You are true professionals.''


    James stared at the sign. Was this it?


    ''Is there... nobody you can talk to?'' he said weakly, his knees like spaghetti.


    ''No,'' Bill snapped. ''That thing is it. And so far, I haven''t gotten anything out of it ever apart from growls.''


    ''There''s really nothing we can do then?''


    Bill made a face. Then he walked off towards the ship again.


    James and the others just stood there, the wind pushing them, and the first drops of rain pattering on their visors.


    They were doomed.


    ''Guys, let''s go.'' Dakarai beckoned and started towards the entrance.


    ''Right. I almost forgot,'' James breathed and followed.


    They could just leave, right? Surely The Company wouldn''t keep them locked in here? Right?


    But as they got to the large gate, they found it closed and locked. And no matter how they called, knocked or pressed buttons, nothing happened. Eventually, defeated, they returned to the ship where Bill waited. He had a sad look on his face. Probably having done the same thing himself at some point. He knew what they were going through.


    James inhaled deeply, took a final good look around the docks, then entered the small shuttle again.


    ''Bill. About yesterday,'' he began. ''I''m so sorry for-''


    ''It''s alright, kid. I know.'' Bill motioned for them to come over to the computer. ''Let''s do some shopping.''

 6 - Assurances

    ''And there''s the command for the shop.'' Bill pointed to the monitor. ''Everything will be sent to our location within minutes, usually. Sometimes it takes a little longer.''


    James looked at the commands, trying to commit them to memory. They''d gone into the store on the computer and ordered a lot of things. Food rations, first aid kits, an extra suit, flashlights and walkie-talkies among other necessary things.


    ''So...'' James hesitated. ''The salary is joint?''


    ''Yeah. It''s a little suspicious, but it is what it is. At least it''s pretty good and allows us to buy what we need.''


    ''But we can''t take out the money and leave the shuttle? Go shopping in the city?''


    ''No. Afraid we''re stuck here until our contracts run out.''


    ''Well, I suppose it could be worse.''


    Dakarai called from outside the ship then. ''It''s here!''


    James spun towards the door. The roar of a rocket and reflected yellow light shone in the puddles outside. He hurried out to the others, waiting a few meters away from the ship, looking up.


    The rocket landed with a heavy metallic clunk, followed by a few seconds of silence. Then, lights flashed around the rocket and a happy tune started playing. Quite loud.


    ''What in the world?'' Rebecca laughed.


    ''Beautiful!'' Dakarai danced about in the rain like a lunatic.


    James chuckled, watching the spectacle. The music was loud, and a bit off tune.


    ''What do we do now?'' he asked and turned to Bill who walked up beside him.


    ''Here.'' Bill pressed a button on the rocket and compartments on the sides opened, spilling its contents onto the wet concrete.


    ''Neat!'' Dakarai said and grabbed a first air kit and a walkie-talkie. ''We should test these.''


    ''Good idea, let''s,'' James agreed.


    The brought all their new gear with them to the shuttle, and tested everything. A strange calm and feeling of camaraderie settled over the small crew as they chatted, ate dinner and tested the comms.


    After about an hour, Bill stood and looked at the monitor, writing commands.


    ''What''s happening,'' James asked and stood. He wanted to learn to handle the computer. If something happened to Bill, they''d be stranded otherwise.


    ''Routing the ship to a new moon.''


    ''Not Experimentation?''


    ''Again? No. It''s better to go further away. I think Assurance will do. Weather''s stable at the moment.''


    James watched the green text on the screen. ¡°220 ¨C Assurance. Conditions: Hilly desert moon with large rocks. Similar to its twin moon, 41-Experimentation, but featuring far more jagged and weathered terrain. Current weather: Fair.¡±


    ''Sounds fantastic.''


    Dakarai snorted behind him. ''Right. A walk in the park. I''m sure it''s got friendly animals too.''


    ''Of course.'' Bill nodded. ''It''s more or less the same, but it''s less scavenged so there''s more scrap of value to be collected.''


    ''Well, that''s something,'' James muttered, the knot in his stomach making itself known again. He really didn''t want to meet any of the wild creatures on the moons. Especially not those large eyeless dogs. He rubbed his arms, suddenly prickly with goose bumps.


    ''Let''s get it over with. We should rest while we can, and go on a hunt for great scrap tomorrow,'' Dakarai said. ''We''ll surprise even The Company with our supreme scavenging skills!''


    ''Sure,'' Rebecca said with a smile and patted him on the shoulder. ''But he''s right, we should rest while we can. I''m still tired from yesterday and hurting everywhere.''


    ''Me too,'' James agreed and flexed his arms and back. There wasn''t a muscle in his body that wasn''t aching, smarting, or stinging. ''I''m not even sure I''ll survive walking from the ship.''


    Dakarai laughed. ''I can run. I feel fine.''


    ''How? You were hurt on the first day!'' Rebecca protested.


    Dakarai shrugged. ''I''m resilient like that.'' He grinned.


    Bill shook his head and climbed up into his bunk as the ship roared and shook, taking off again. The others followed suit.


    When the shuttle shuddered to a stop on the new moon, James and the rest of the crew were already ready. This time, James felt safer than before as, not only did he know what to expect, they had brought walkie-talkies, flashlights, and Dakarai even carried a shovel.


    ¡°Good for emergencies,¡± Bill had said.


    ''Everyone ready?'' James asked. The team nodded.


    The door thumped open, revealing sandy, dry soil, tall weathered cliffs, and bright sunlight. They stepped out and looked around.


    ''Where''s the facility?'' Rebecca asked, turning around in circles.


    ''Should to the north,'' Bill said.


    ''I don''t see any,'' James replied. ''Let''s go up that hill and have a look.''


    They set off at a good pace.


    Almost like they knew what they were doing, James thought. Perhaps it wasn''t too bad after all. They had just had a bad start, was all.


    He studied their surroundings as they climbed the steep incline, appreciating the clearer weather here on Assurance. Windblown sand created small clouds here and there, but he could see far over the rocky landscape. James spotted something among the rocks and half-dead vegetation, moving near the shuttle. Looked like some big animals, but smaller than the dogs, hopping around. He made a mental note to be extra careful on the way back.


    Some weird four-winged birds flew up as they approached the top, making Rebecca gasp. Dakarai laughed and pointed after them. Looking back,


    ''See anything?'' James asked and looked ahead again.


    ''There!'' Dakarai pointed. Something metallic gleamed between two hills. ''What''s that?''


    ''Let''s have a look. The sooner we get there, the better,'' Bill said.


    Moments later, they saw what it was. A large heavy goods vehicle sat propped up like a bridge between two taller hills. It didn''t look safe, James concluded and searched for a different way to get down from where they were. That''s when he spotted the building.


    ''Guys, I see it. It''s down there, to the left.''


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    ''Yess!'' Dakarai said and set off at a high pace towards the vehicle-bridge.


    ''Dak! Maybe not climb on that death trap?'' James shouted. But Dakarai had already reached it and waved off James'' warning with a hand before lithely climbing up on the old thing.


    ''He''s got to be mad,'' he muttered.


    ''Yeah, for real,'' Rebecca agreed. ''But I wonder how that thing got up there in the first place.''


    ''That''s strange for sure,'' James agreed, that twist in his stomach making itself known again. How had it gotten up there? It didn''t make sense to make a bridge intentionally with a vehicle like that.


    James'' walkie-talkie hissed with static, then Dakarai''s voice came through: ''I see some large pipes ahead. They appear to go left.''


    James pushed the button ''That''s where I saw the facility from here. Come back so we can get down there, over.''


    ''Eyy, but I think it might be easier to get down over here. I''m going.''


    ''Dakarai?'' James waited a few seconds but got no reply. ''Dak?''


    Bill shook his head and walked over to the edge of the cliff. ''I think we can get down here.''


    ''All right, let''s go.'' James glanced towards the bridge, wondering if Dak was alright, but followed the others.


    The cliff face was pretty steep but traversable, and they all got down without any problems. In the shadowy canyon between the hills, birds squawked and few up, startling James. Walking a a few minutes took them within sight of the facility''s steel grey walls. High up on a cliff, with a tall ladder leading up.


    ''Again!'' Rebecca, groaned. ''I hate ladders.''


    ''Yeah, why do they keep building so high up?'' James asked, looking to Bill for answers.


    ''Who knows. Could be that the dogs can''t get up that way?''


    James shuddered. ''Right.''


    As they approached the ladder, a shadowy figure leaned out from the top. ''Eyy, you made it.''


    ''What the hell, Dak! You just left us earlier. That''s not okay!'' Rebecca yelled and shook a fist in his direction.


    Dakarai laughed, and waved. Then he disappeared again.


    ''Come on.'' Bill started climbing up the ladder. ''Time isn''t gonna wait.''


    James grabbed the rungs and pulled at them. They didn''t budge. ''Feels sturdy,'' he said to Rebecca and climbed.


    Soon, they had all entered the old building. Lamps brightened the entrance, and a large fan spun lazily in the ceiling, humming. Three doorways waited to be explored. One was shut, and no light came through the small glass insert. The other two had lights glowing here and there, making them much more welcoming.


    ''Should we split up?'' James asked. ''Since we''ve got the walkies.''


    Bill nodded. ''I think that''s a good idea. We can cover more ground quicker.''


    ''What if we encounter... something?'' Rebecca whispered.


    ''If it''s obviously dangerous, get away from it, then contact us. If you don''t know, be quiet, keep an eye on it, and contact us,'' Bill snapped. ''Let''s go, James.''


    ''Uh... sure.'' He followed Bill through the centre door. Dakarai and Rebecca vanished through the other lit doorway, talking softly.


    ''Will they be okay?'' James dared ask after a few minutes.


    Bill shrugged. ''If they''re not dumb.''


    The facility wasn''t as run down as the one they''d been in at Experimentation. But it felt very much the same to James. Long corridors, sometimes fully dark sections, dust, many empty rooms, though there were more machinery here and the corridors were wider.


    As James and Bill moved through a darker section, the comms sparked. James pulled it out and listened.


    ''We didn''t find anything here but a dead end. Checked all the rooms. Gonna check out the dark corridor instead,'' Dak''s voice came though.


    ''Okay, be careful. We''ll continue here. There are rooms we haven''t checked yet.''


    ''Alrighty!'' The comms hissed and went silent.


    James sighed, and looked ahead. Bill''s orange hazmat suit glowed in the beam from his flashlight. Everything else was dark, grey, and dull.


    ''I think we should split up,'' Bill said then.


    ''What? Are you m-''


    ''This corridor splits up. You go left, I go right. If you find anything, use the walkie.'' He gave James a pat on the shoulder and walked off.


    ''What the...?'' James stood rooted to the ground, his heartbeats thumping in his ears.


    Had Bill gone mad? Why split up?


    Sweating, he looked left. A light flickered a few meters away and black doorways loomed open. He swallowed and forced his numb legs to move again. He pressed the button on the comms, hesitated, then let it go again. Bill would hear him complain. Fuck.


    The corridor turned out to be empty, but he found some cords and metal sheets in one room. He grabbed them and started moving back to the entrance. It was easier to place everything in a pile by the door, like Dakarai had suggested last time.


    On the way out, he noticed something by the door. He stopped to study it. An arm? A metal arm with remains of a red jacket around it. The hand had a round hole in it, like from a large doll meant to be holding something. Odd. Was it worth something? He pulled out the scanner and checked. Nothing.


    Deciding it was nothing, he left it and walked back to the entrance. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. He pulled out the comms again. ''Bill?''


    For a few seconds, nothing happened, and he almost thought things had gone to shit. Then Bills voice answered, ''Yes?''


    ''You okay? I found some things. Left them at the entrance. Over.''


    ''Alright. I''ll be there shortly. Got stuff here too.''


    Did nobody know to end their transmissions with ¡°over¡±?


    James sighed, and looked towards the dark corridor. He shined his flashlight at it. Empty. He waited for a little while, then decided to check it out as well. Maybe that one went further than the rest?


    He passed by some empty rooms, a staircase, and then found a large open area with lots of pipes and several corridors leading out from it. What a maze. Anyone could get lost here.


    ''I''m going in to the dark corridor,'' he said into the comms. ''I''ll take only right turns from the large area with the pipes. Over.'' He thought it best to stick to a fail safe plan to avoid getting lost.


    ''I''ll take things back to the ship,'' Bill answered.


    ''Okay. Watch out. I saw something move around the ship when we were on the hill. Over.''


    ''Alright, thanks.''


    James licked his lips and continued down the corridor. Something squeaked, echoing faintly against the concrete walls.


    ''Oh no...''


    He ran the flashlight all over the place, but saw nothing. Maybe it had been far enough away to be safe. He kept walking. Soon he''d picked up more metal scrap, cords, and what looked like an empty shotgun shell. It had no worth according to the scanner. But he put it in a pouch anyway. Maybe it meant he could find a real weapon. That''d feel incredibly reassuring. However, the fact that someone had needed one, was less assuring. Always turning right, he eventually found himself back to the large pipe-room again.


    He peered down the next corridor when the comms sparked.


    ''I''m back at the ship.''


    ''Alright. I''ll keep looking here. This place is big. Over.''


    ''Sure.''


    Something scuttled behind him and with a strangled yelp, he spun around.


    One of the big, grey hoarding bugs watched him with large red eyes. It raised it front legs.


    ''Oh no, you don''t,'' James whispered. ''Stay away. Shoo!'' He raised his voice and waved a hand at the bug, hoping it wouldn''t attack like last time.


    To his surprise, the bug skittered away, vanishing into the dark. James breathed a deep sigh of relief. Then he kept exploring the facility. Hoping to find something more interesting soon.


    After looting though a few more rooms, he stopped. How long had it been since he''d heard from Dakarai and Rebecca? Maybe they were just busy? But it seemed strange.


    He raised the comms and pressed the button. ''Dak? Rebecca?''


    No answer.


    ''Bill?''


    ''Yes. I hear you. I can see them on the ship''s scanner. They''re quite far away from you. They appear to have turned off their walkie.''


    ''Should I go and check on them? Over.''


    ''Might. There''s a loot bug near you.''


    ''Yeah, I saw it. Warn me if there''s something else, okay? Over.''


    ''Will do.''


    He felt marginally safer knowing Bill watched over him from the ship. And knowing Dak and Rebecca was alive. But why were they acting weird? Maybe they''d turned it off by mistake? He could imagine Dak doing that.


    Feeling better, he walked boldly down the next corridor.


    The comms sparked again. Only static came though.


    James listened for a while, then pressed the button. ''Hello?''

 7 - Shadows, prt 1

    The comms hissed with static for a while. Then, Rebecca''s voice came through in a whisper.


    ''James, we''re being followed by something. We don''t know what it is, but it''s big and keeps showing up whenever we turn our backs.''


    ''What''s it look like?'' James whispered back, in case the noise would draw the creature.


    ''I... I''m not sure. It''s dark, taller than us. Shiny eyes.''


    James recalled the two white glowing dots he''d seen in a doorway on his first day and his skin crawled. Had it actually been a creature and not his imagination?


    ''Could be the shadow man,'' Bill whispered. ''Scan it if you can.''


    James hissed, ''Get back here. Let''s leave. It''s not worth the risk. Over.''


    ''We''re tryi-'' The transmission was cut off by an ear splitting scream.


    James stared at the walkie-talkie in his shaking hand, his mouth agape, sweat running down his face. Had they died? Holy shit. He swallowed.


    ''Bill?''


    ''It''s after them. They''re running,'' Bill answered.


    ''Should I go help them?'' He knew it was probably stupid. Probably pointless. But he felt terrible just standing there. ''Where are they?''


    ''Not sure. I can''t see on the terminal properly.''


    ''Shit.'' James started running forward, his eyes and ears peeled for any movement or suspicious sounds. Then, a vague scream echoed from the left. He turned that way and hoped to get there in time to be of any use. But soon no sound but his own footsteps and his wheezing breath kept him company. He slowed down.


    ''James, stop,'' Bill commanded suddenly.


    ''What? What happened?'' He looked around. An empty corridor, and a closed door to the right, a faint light shining through the glass insert in the door, brightening the darkness a little.


    ''There''s loot in there. Go get it.''


    Was he for real? ''Dak and Rebecca needs help,'' he spat into the comms. ''I can''t go looking for scrap now.''


    ''It''s what we''re here for. They''re on their own. You can''t really do much anyway.''


    ''I can try and not be an ass,'' James growled.


    ''Oh, come on,'' Bill snorted. ''You know what''s at stake here. They''re probably fine. I''ll take a look.''


    Fuming, but realizing Bill was probably right, he pulled the door open, forgetting to be afraid for a moment and checked the room out. There were steel shelves filled with stuff, and more things piled on the floor. He stood still for a moment, taking it all in. He couldn''t bring everything. And he wanted to hurry.


    To what, his inner voice asked. Death? Wasn''t it better to loot and get out? Run away?


    Pressing his lips together, he stepped in and checked for smaller items with a lot of worth. When he''d picked up a few things, the comms hissed again. He snatched it up.


    ''James?'' Rebecca whispered, her voice shaking.


    ''Yes! Yes, where are you? I''m coming. Over.''


    ''No, no, stay away. The thing is still around. He just... came up right behind me and growled. I thought I was gonna die. I stared it right in the face. But the second I looked at it, it ran off. Like it doesn''t like to be seen.''


    ''Are you okay?''


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    ''Yes, for now. We''re a little lost. Trying to find the way back out.''


    ''I heard you a while back, so you''re not too far off. And I found... Bill found a room with tons of loot here. Over.''


    ''You''re lootin... never mind. That''s great. But, oooh fuck. There he is again. I''ll be right back.''


    The comms went quiet.


    Unsure what to do, James stepped out into the corridor again and looked in the direction he''d been headed. Vague noises reached him. After a while, they got louder.


    ''Go, go, go... it''s coming.''


    Sounded like Dak, James thought. Then, they were still alive. Happiness soared for a few second, until he realized they were bringing the monster with them.


    ''Oh no,'' he mumbled.


    James shined his flashlight down the corridor, and soon enough, two bright orange characters came slugging around a corner ahead. He waved, a smile attached to his face. They were still alive.


    ''Let''s go!'' he called, and spun to show them the way out.


    A spine-chilling growl greeted him and he sucked in his breath and bit his lips. In front of him, a tall, dark, beet red figure stood, only centimetres away, its glowing white eyes staring into his soul. James staggered to a stop, dropping his flashlight with a loud clatter and the tinkle of splintered glass.


    Darkness enveloped him. Something scuffed in the dark.


    James was sure he would die. He simply awaited the final blow, his breath caught in his breast, and his hands clenched, his feet rooted to the floor.


    A hand landed on his shoulder, and an involuntary shriek escaped him.


    ''Holy..! James, it''s me,'' Dakarai''s voice said behind him.


    A flight flickered as Rebecca turned on her flashlight, clearly low on batteries.


    ''Did you see him? Did you see!'' she asked unnecessarily.


    James nodded numbly, his throat raw from the scream and his heart thundering a full concert in hie ears.


    ''It''ll be back soon, we''ve gotta beat it. Go go go!'' Dak urged, and pushed James forward.


    James stumbled a few steps in the half-light, then his body reacted, and fuelled by adrenalin he burst down the corridor, speeding back the way he''d come. Rebecca and Dakarai sprinted behind him, panting loudly.


    ''He''s coming from you right!'' Bill''s voice hissed through the comms.


    James sidestepped to the left and they all looked right. Two glowing white dots vanished behind a bend in a connecting corridor.


    ''Shit...'' James huffed, then continued to run.


    The way back to the entrance felt like an eternity, the monster appearing around every other bend and intersection, only to retreat again when they spotted it. James didn''t want to know what''d happen if they didn''t spot it.


    Dakarai dashed past him the last bit to the doors, and pulled them open, motioning with his hand for them to pass though.


    ''Lords of the Seven Deep Seas,'' James groaned, and sank to the hard concrete outside the door, heaving for breath.


    ''You could say that... again,'' Rebecca gasped.


    ''What was that thing?'' James stared at the entrance, sweat running down his face and misting his visor.


    ''No idea. I forgot to scan it,'' Dakarai huffed, leaning against the metal doors.


    ''The fact... that you even thought about it... tells me a lot about you, Dak,'' James panted.


    Dakarai grinned, his white teeth the only thing James could see of his face through the visor.


    ''It''s getting dark, perhaps we should hurry to the ship?'' Rebecca suggested.


    ''I''m not running another centimetre, unless something''s trying to kill me,'' James grumbled and got back up on his feet.


    Rebecca gave a half-hearted laugh and nodded.


    The small party descended the metal ladder, then slowly made their way back towards the ship. The wind had settled and the air cleared, giving them a splendid view of the tall rocks, glowing in the setting sun''s orange light.


    ''There''s some baboon hawks ahead,'' Bill''s voice came through the walkie-talkie.


    ''Some what?'' James said. ''Over,'' he added after a few seconds.


    ''Probably the things you saw on the way to the facility,'' Bill answered. ''They''ve been hanging around the vicinity for a while. I see three on the monitor, so watch out.''


    ''All right, thanks. Over.'' James let go of the button and looked around for the creatures.


    It wasn''t too bad having someone on watch duty from the ship, after all. He just wished it had been him instead of Bill. He''d make sure to learn how to do that later. When he wasn''t swimming in his own sweat and his legs weren''t made from jelly anymore.


    They made it to the ship, unscathed, though they''d had to take a detour around some cliffs to avoid the creatures. Luckily, the baboon-hawks had warned them of their presence with loud squawking before the group even spotted them. Nothing else had bothered them on the way. Though James could have sworn the ground shook a bit, right before they reached the shuttle.

 7 - Shadows, prt 2

    Their haul had been pretty decent, but James dreaded having to go back to the facility the next morning.


    ''Hey, what are we going to do about that shadow man?'' he asked and sank down on the bottom bunk, letting his helmet fall to the floor.


    ''Loot?'' Dakarai commented.


    ''Yeah, obviously, but I mean... the monsters, man. We can''t just..'' He huffed in frustration. ''We''ll die.''


    ''There''s at least three other entrances to the building. It''s huge,'' Bill responded from the terminal. He watched the screen, his back turned on the rest of them.


    James nodded. ''Okay. Which one is the farthest away from the main entrance?''


    ''The one at the back of the building.'' Bill glanced over his shoulder at him. ''You okay, James? You seem a bit shaken up.''


    He almost laughed. ''Shaken? Yeah, no shit, man.'' Running a hand through his matted hair, he looked at Rebecca and Dakarai. ''Any suggestions?''


    ''I''m... no. I don''t wanna go back in there,'' Rebecca stuttered. ''I can''t. Can I stay here and monitor?''


    Bill gave her a look that said he''d accept no such thing. ''We need everyone in there.''


    ''Oh yeah? And why didn''t we need you today? Where did you go?''


    ''I went in with you, you might recall. I returned with what loot we had, and then I helped you get out safe. Recall that part? I''m gonna do the same tomorrow. It''s always safer in the mornings than in the evenings. So the faster we get in and find stuff, the better.'' He nodded, as if they had all agreed.


    James had no energy to counter it. Besides, it made sense if the part with the monsters were true.


    ''Let''s go in through the back. If we get going fast, we probably won''t lose too much time.''


    ''Might be better with one of the side entrances, though,'' Bill muttered. ''The facility is huge and the back door would take a long time to get to. The eastern one is far enough away.''


    ''Sounds like a good plan. I''m game,'' Dakarai said from the floor, where he lay flat on his back. His boots lay discarded beside him, reeking.


    To be fair, they all reeked, James thought. ''Yeah, sure.''


    Rebecca sighed and nodded in defeat.


    The following morning, they left the ship as early as they could, carefully keeping their eyes peeled for the large baboon-hawks and eyeless dogs. The overcast sky threatened with rain later, building up tall and dark while the wind whined around the tall cliffs.


    They arrived at the fire exit, high up on a cliff, without any mishaps or monsters. Dakarai was the first to enter, as usual. He pushed the worn, red metal door open and stepped in. The others waited a moment, watching and listening. Then the door opened again and Dakarai assured them it was safe to enter.


    James walked with Rebecca this time while Dakarai and Bill teamed up.


    Efficiency, and all that. James would have preferred if they could have gone all together. But there was no reasoning with Bill on that subject.


    ''Don''t break the flashlight,'' Bill said before they parted ways. ''It''s the only spare we have for now.''


    ''I''ll try to remember that when the monsters chase me,'' James retorted, annoyed. It wasn''t like he''d dropped it on purpose. Besides, a flashlight wasn''t that expensive. They could afford a new one.


    Rebecca took a deep breath. ''Let''s go.''


    They headed down a wide corridor that soon split into four. Deciding to keep it simple, they followed the right-hand side, always turning right whenever possible.


    ''It''s easier to find the way back out again,'' Rebecca said. ''So we don''t need to get lost in a pinch again, like yesterday.''


    ''It''s a great idea,'' James agreed.


    They walked for a few minutes in the darkness, only using one of the flashlights to save on the battery. When they turned around another corner, something made a whirring noise. They stopped in their tracks. A red beam of light hit James in the chest. With a gasp, he jumped back and pulled Rebecca with him. Loud gunfire rattled, dust, bits of concrete and bouncing bullets flew all around them as they ducked and covered.


    ''I hate turrets!'' Rebecca yelled as it finally stopped. ''It''s the third time I''ve almost walked into one of them.''


    ''Yeah, it''s weird to have them in here. Isn''t it?''


    ''Maybe? Unless the monsters were here while people sill worked here too.'' She brushed herself off and turned back the way they''d come. Let''s take the next right.''


    ''Yeah. I''m not trying to get past that.'' But before James followed her, he bent and picked up one of the bullets. He frowned. It wasn''t the same as the other one he''d picked up yesterday. This was a smaller, rifle type ammo. Not like the big empty shell he''d found. A shotgun. Gods, he wanted a shotgun.


    ''Hey, you coming or what?'' Rebecca called, a few meters ahead. ''I don''t wanna do this alone, you know.''


    ''Yeah, sorry. I just wanted to check the bullets.''


    ''What for?''


    ''I found a shotgun shell yesterday, and I just wanted to compare them. I''m fairly certain it''s from a shotgun anyway. I''m not an expert.''


    ''Wow. You think we can find weapons here? Other than the turrets?''


    ''Maybe. I hope so.''


    She smiled, a hopeful expression on her face. ''I hope so too.''


    ''Yeah. Imagine just being able to blast the face off of any monster that dares to show it''s ugly mug, eh?''


    ''That''d be amazing.'' She pointed. ''A door. Let''s check it out.''


    James tensed, but so far the place had been quiet apart from the turret. Maybe they''d be lucky this time.


    They found a large room with machinery and computers. They picked up quite a few things before moving on. Another room had a staircase, but no other doors, so they headed up, and went though multiple rooms and corridors.


    ''This place never ends, huh? What were they doing here anyway?''


    ''No clue. Many different things, I think. Research, mining... stuff.''


    ''Yeah, definitely stuff,'' she agreed.


    James chuckled. ''But what kind of stuff? That''s the question.''


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ''Dude, I don''t wanna know.'' She laughed. ''Probably illegal experiments.''


    He nodded. Not a bad guess. Wouldn''t have surprised him at any rate. He stepped in something wet and looked down. The floor had a wide wet track leading down to the right. He followed it with his eyes.


    ''Becca. I think there''s a slime over there. Let''s go left.''


    She turned and followed him back immediately.


    For a while, James almost felt calm as they wandered the empty building, room after room, and corridors leading in circles and dead ends, and branching everywhere. But no monsters.


    Then James heard footfalls ahead. A thunk. He and Rebecca automatically flattened themselves against a wall, standing still and listening.


    ''What is it?'' Rebecca whispered behind him.


    Leaning forward, he glanced around a corner. ''I don''t know. I can''t see anything.''


    He carefully entered the corridor and saw an open door just to the side. The room was lit. He hesitated, but then decided to go check.


    Rebecca pulled at his arm, shaking her head.


    He nodded and mouthed, ''It''ll be alright. I''ll be careful.'' He''d make sure of it.


    She stayed back as he slowly crept up to the doorway. The faint noises in the room continued. Rattling, scuffing, a creak.


    His comms hissed and James'' heart almost stopped. Fumbling it out, he quickly turned it off.


    Holy shit. What if the thing in the room had heard? He barely dared breathe. Was it very quiet? He heard nothing in the room. Shit.


    A shadow blocked the doorway, and James jumped back.


    ''Oh, my GOD!'' Dakarai shouted, and something clanged.


    ''What''s up?'' Bill''s voice called from the room, rapid footsteps closing in.


    James realized he''d been sneaking on their friends.


    ''You scared the shit out of me,'' he huffed. ''I thought you were monsters.''


    ''Man! You scared me too. Why''d you be sitting by the door like that! You freak,'' Dakarai laughed and waved his flashlight around.


    Rebecca and Bill came up to them as well, sighing and smiling in relief.


    ''I was trying to figure out if it was something dangerous,'' James explained. ''But I guess we''ll be on our merry way then.''


    ''The rooms down that way have been cleared already,'' Bill injected. ''But if you turn to the right in the second intersection, we haven''t been there yet.''


    ''Alright, thanks.'' James waved and set off down the corridor, Rebecca at his heels.


    ''I thought you were gonna die, James. Don''t do that to me, please.'' She poked him in the side.


    He laughed, relieved. ''I didn''t die. And you''re one to talk. The scare you guys gave me...'' He didn''t finish the thought, unwilling to think too much about what had almost happened the previous day.


    Her smile faded and she nodded. ''That''s fair.''


    They walked to the new area and looked around. They found a large circular room full of pipes and valves of varying sizes, opening up into five different corridors. Like some kind of hub.


    ''Well, this looks like a pipe central,'' James muttered. ''Should we split? Just scout the corridors a little bit to see which might be best?''


    Rebecca hummed, her eyes wide. ''Shouldn''t we stick together? Safer that way.''


    ''Yeah, but we haven''t found much today. Time''s running out. Just check if there''s many or few rooms, yeah? Then return here?''


    She swallowed audibly. ''Yeah, yeah, okay. I''ll check there, and you take the next one?''


    ''Yeah. See you back here in...'' He checked the time. ''Five minutes?''


    ''Okay, yeah.'' She wobbled in place.


    James felt bad. It wasn''t exactly safe. ''You know what, never mind. Let''s go together.''


    ''No, you''re right. Just a quick look is okay.'' She gave a quick smile, and set off towards the corridor she''d pointed at.


    ''You sure?''


    ''Yeah, I''m good.'' She gave a thumbs up.


    James wondered if she really was, but this was more efficient. He took the next corridor. No lights here. Glad for the new flashlight, he let the beam go from floor to ceiling, ensuring nothing occupied the space. Then he proceeded. The corridor kept going for a long time before he reached the first door. It was locked.


    ''Great,'' he mumbled and tried to peer inside the small window. Nothing but darkness.


    He kept going when he heard something. Rebecca? He checked the comms and remembered he''d turned it off.


    Well, that was stupid.


    He flicked the on button and pressed the button. ''Rebecca? Over.''


    ''For the love of the seas you always call out to, why''d you turn the comms off?'' her annoyed voice replied.


    He grinned foolishly to himself. ''I didn''t want the monsters to hear it when I was sneaking earlier. Over.''


    ''Oh for f... Whatever. Get your ass over here. I found stuff.''


    ''Coming right away. Over.'' He put the comms down and turned back the way he''d come.


    Footsteps echoed near the central room as he approached. He halted, listening.


    Dakarai and Bill again, perhaps?


    The steps were rhythmic and heavy, almost like steel shod shoes. Then they stopped, followed by an odd clicking noise for a few seconds. Then more footsteps.


    Were there people here? That felt unlikely. James licked his lips nervously, then carefully walked forward. He stopped by the big circular room with the pipes, looked in all directions, trying to figure out where the sounds came from.


    The steps approached, stopped, clicking, more steps.


    Maybe from over there? The corridor they had entered from earlier. He squinted. But it was too dark. Might be Bill and Dak after all. They were down there. Perhaps they had found enough and were returning to the ship?


    He decided to hurry, and walked out into the room, sticking to a wall. He''d beeline it to Rebecca, he thought.


    Someone entered the room from the opposite entrance. James froze, his eyes glued to the opening.


    A figure, no, a person with a tall hat, stopped in the doorway and looked back and forth in the room. The odd clicking sounded again.


    Was it just a man, after all? But neither Bill nor Dakarai.


    James, trying futilely to become one with the wall, stared at the stranger. And more importantly, at the stick in his hands. A weapon? He couldn''t quite see in the gloom.


    The man stomped forward a few steps, and James entire body tensed. The loud footfalls echoed in the room. Then the stranger stopped again, spun around. Something looked wrong. Sweating, James stared at the man. As he walked a few more steps forward, he came into the light from Rebecca''s corridor.


    James stared.


    What the hell?


    The man wasn''t a man after all. A human sized doll in old-fashioned military clothes in red, blue and white, a tall black hairy hat on the round head. The doll''s upper body spun around then, clicking loudly. The legs didn''t move, just the upper torso.


    Some kind of robot?


    James tensed, ready to run, but not daring to move a muscle unless the thing appeared to see him.


    The doll''s face stared at him. Painted black eyes and red cheeks on a white face. The mouth was just bared teeth. It had no neck.


    James eyes lowered to its hands. A shotgun pointed straight towards him. Shit.


    ''James! Are you there?''


    Fuck. Rebecca. If she just walked in here, she might get shot by that thing.


    ''Don''t come!'' he shouted, his heart hammering.


    The thing stepped forward again, then stopped. More footsteps approached from behind it.


    Were there more than one? Tiny bright dots swam around the corners of his eyes.


    The thing''s head rose, straight up, and its mouth opened.


    James stared at it in disbelief, his mouth gaping, mind reeling from the impossibly freaky thing.


    It closed again, and spun. Then it raised the shotgun and a deafening boom and flash had James reeling backwards, his ears ringing. He stumbled and plopped down on his ass heavily as smoke rose and pebbles from a wall rained down over him. Did he hear shouting? Everything was muted and his ears hurt.


    Swearing, James pushed himself back towards the corridor he''d emerged from. He had to get away from this madness.


    Clicking.


    He looked up, meeting that monstrosity. The eye. A large round eyeball on a metal rod, hidden behind the round face of the doll until it rose up, opening the mouth. James stared at it, crawling backwards, unable to utter a single noise. His thoughts frozen, paralysed.


    The shotgun raised, and he looked down the barrel.


    Death.


    Someone screamed.

 8 - Lethal Company

    The freaky, human-sized doll fell sideways before James terrified eyes. Another loud bang deafened him, the bright flash giving him after-images every time he blinked. Dakarai screamed. Rebecca yelled. Thuds and scuffing. James climbed back to his feet, dizzy from fear and shock. He realized Dakarai were wrestling the monster on the ground, holding on to the shotgun. James joined the fray without another seconds'' hesitation.


    The thing kicked him, hard, and James grunted in pain.


    ''Get him!'' Dakarai hollerred.


    Wincing against the red hot pain in his leg, he jumped back in as the thing tried to stand back up, swinging and kicking wildly at them.


    ''Stay down!'' James roared and threw his weight at it, toppling it back down. They grappled, and got kicked. It clicked and somehow reloaded, despite them holding it down. It was too strong. The head raised and the eye stared at them for a second. Snapping shut, the monster aimed the shotgun at them. James yanked his head to the side. Another blast roared. James grabbed a piece of scrap on the ground and started beating it against the round head. It twisted and kicked.


    ''Get back! Let me hit it! Bill shouted from behind, and James jumped back.


    Bill came at it with a yellow yield sign, battered its head. It raised the shotgun again.


    ''No!'' James roared.


    Another loud blast and flash.


    Something hit James visor, darkening it. He couldn''t see and flailed, stumbling backwards.


    Metallic banging and Rebecca shrieking jolted James out of his panic. He stopped and brought his hands up, wiping the visor. The sticky dark fluid came off enough, allowing him a blurred vision of the scene.


    Bill and Rebecca both beat the monster with scrap. Behind them, James spotted Dakarai''s legs. Shit. Had he been hit? Dread grabbed a hold of James. He bellowed in fury and ran back, kicking the thing. The head opened, and without thinking, he punched into the mouth, hitting the eye in the centre.


    The monster fired the shotgun into the ceiling, raining gravel over them. James didn''t care. If it''d hurt Dak, it would die.


    Without thinking, James grabbed the barrel of the shotgun and yanked it loose, stumbling back in the process. Then he spun the weapon around, and fumbling only for a second, brought it up before his eyes, aimed at the gaping mouth and freaky eye staring at him. James pulled the trigger. The powerful recoil punched into his shoulder. The boom deafening.


    Silence.


    James squinted, then opened his eyes fully again. The doll lay still, its eye completely erased from existence. Bill and Rebecca stood panting beside it, still ready to beat it with scrap.


    Letting the shotgun go with a clatter, James ran around his friends to help Dakarai, and stopped.


    ''No...'' he breathed, his throat constricted. ''No.''


    Dakarai''s body lay still on the ground, but where his head should have been, only a bloody mass remained, with pieces of the black helmet sprinkled through. Blood and gore had splattered all over the floor. It took James several seconds to connect what had happened. What had blinded him. He raised a hand and wiped his visor again. His black gloves came off wet. He looked at his orange suit. Red dots spattered his chest. He swallowed. Bile burned in the back of his throat.


    ''No!''


    ''Oh no...'' Rebecca gasped beside him. ''Oh Lord. What do we do?''


    James stomach cramped. He spun and tore off his helmet, ran to the closest wall and heaved until nothing but bile came out.


    Then he simply stood there for a while, leaning against the concrete. His throat raw and burning, the stale, dusty, chemical-smelling air of the complex irritating his airways and stinging his eyes.


    He couldn''t believe it. Dakarai had died to save him. If not for Dak, the thing would have shot him instead. He forced down the lump in his throat, took a deep breath of stinging air, and forced himself to look up.


    ''James. Please, put it on.'' Rebecca stood beside him, a hand on his shoulder. He hadn''t even felt it. She held up his helmet before him. ''Please, take it.''


    Numbly, he grabbed it and pulled it back over his head, attaching the fastenings again. The stink of the suit almost gave him a homely, safe feeling. Despite the smell, the air was breathable. He focused on taking one deep breath after the other.


    ''You okay?'' Rebecca asked.


    It wasn''t until then he noticed her tear-streaked face.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Fuck. He wasn''t the only one affected here. Get a grip, James.


    ''I''m sorry. I''m alright now.''


    ''We need to move, guys,'' Bill grated. ''This racket is bound to draw some attention. We better get scarce real quick.''


    ''Fuck you, man,'' James breathed. ''I''m not leaving without Dak.''


    ''Of course not. Help me carry him back to the ship. Move it,'' Bill snapped, surprising James.


    ''I... yeah.'' James took another steadying breath. ''Thank you.''


    Then, avoiding to look at the mess, James picked up the shotgun, and rummaged through the monster''s pockets for ammunition. Once done, he and Bill grabbed Dakarai''s body, while Rebecca struggled under the weight of the scrap.


    The trek back out was the slowest, most agonizing walk James had ever done.


    ''When you think it can''t get worse,'' Rebecca whispered, and sniffed beside him.


    He only nodded. Unable to find words. They''d all surely die. By The Seven. What were they doing here anyway? Dying for what?


    Back at the ship, the small crew slumped down on the floor and bunk-bed in silence. Rebecca curled into a ball on the bed, sniffling quietly while James and Bill sat on the floor, discarded helmets beside them.


    James kept his eyes glued to his boots, unwilling to look at anyone and scared to look at the body of his friend, lying near the doors, by the large red cabinet.


    He couldn''t believe this had happened. It wasn''t fair. Dakarai was the best of them. Sure, he''d been a bit crazy, but always there, ready to help, going the extra mile. He couldn''t quite accept it. Though he''d only known Dakarai for a few days, it felt like much longer. He supposed living on borrowed time and relying on each other to live another day, another hour, made people tighter than normal. They should bury him, make some kind of a grave here on Assurance. He pressed his lips together. They''d all be buried on these monster infested moons soon if they didn''t step up their game.


    Raising his eyes, he met Bill''s hard gaze. The man looked absolutely haggard, but composed


    and calm. Briefly, James wondered what he was thinking. Almost asked. But then decided it was better not to. He drew in a deep breath.


    ''Bill. Can you teach me the computer. Before it''s too late.'' Maybe it was too sudden and too negative, but he couldn''t muster any positivity right now.


    Bill nodded and stood. ''We should probably eat, get some energy.''


    ''I''m really not hungry,'' James muttered as he got back up. His stomach churned, images of blood and little pieces of grey and black swam before his eyes. He looked up at the computer screen, focused the green text, the numbers of their quota, the little camera feed of the outside. He took a step forward and his right shin burned like hot iron. Cursing, he felt it with his hands. An aching lump, easily the size of an egg, met his fingers where that cursed doll had kicked him with its metal boots. Wincing, he forced himself to straighten again. Everything hurt anyway, what was one more injury?


    ''What do you want to know?'' Bill asked, his face an unreadable mask.


    ''How do you scan for loot? How do you see the monsters? What more can you do?''


    ''All right. Everything it is,'' Bill muttered. ''Look here. You can access everything from here.''


    Ignoring Rebecca''s crying, James listened intently as Bill showed him how to scan, how to route the ship, how to order things. It wasn''t that hard once you knew the basic commands. It still took a good while.


    ''We should get the shovel and dig a grave,'' James suggested. ''He deserves some dignity.''


    ''I agree,'' Rebecca mumbled from the bed.


    ''It''s dark. Besides, we''re bringing him back to the Company,'' Bill stated.


    ''How do I get the ship to go back to Gordion?'' James asked then.


    ''Gordion?'' Bill raised a questioning eyebrow and pointed to the top screen. It read; Days left to deadline: 1, in red characters. ''We''re not done here yet.''


    ''Are you for real, right now?'' James sighed, unable to muster energy for a fight. ''He''s dead. Are you suggesting we work one more day, leaving him here on the floor?''


    ''Yes. It''s not a suggestion, it''s what we are going to do.''


    ''Look man...'' James tried to hold back his emotions, but this day had been way too much. ''I''m not having him... I''m not having a corpse lying on the floor for another day. Then we bury him here on Assurance tomorrow morning.''


    ''Out of the question.''


    ''No!'' Rebecca inserted. ''We''re either going back to the Company right now, or we''re burying him first thing in the morning. It''s the only right thing to do.''


    James nodded, glad she was with him on this.


    Bill sighed. ''You still don''t get it, do you?''


    ''Get what?''


    ''We''re taking him back to Gordion after tomorrow. I''m sorry it came to this, but it''s the only thing we can do.''


    ''Why?'' James pressed, his hands curled into fists by his sides.


    ''Ask yourself. If we leave now. Do you think we have enough scrap?'' Bill said evenly.


    ''I don''t care!'' James raised his voice. ''This is insane.''


    ''Yes. But it''s the reality we''re in. Accept it, or die. But I''m not gonna die with you.''


    ''You think we don''t have enough? That they wouldn''t make an exception for a... when someone dies?''


    ''I know for a face they don''t,'' Bill snapped. ''They will, however, pay us less for the scrap if we return a day too early. They''ll only give us seventy percent for it now. We''ll die if we go now, if we don''t get more loot.''


    Frustrated James stepped around in a circle, then he hit the metal wall with a fist and yelled.


    Rebecca jumped, but said nothing, her eyes wide and red-shot. Bill nodded. Almost as if he knew what James were going through.


    ''What the fuck do we do now then?'' James shouted, glanced towards the body on the floor, and immediately regretted it.


    ''We rest, eat, and sleep,'' Bill said. ''Tomorrow, we get as much as we can, as early as we can. Then we go back to Gordion.''


    ''Fuck!'' James growled. But he realized Bill was right. Even if it all felt wrong, he couldn''t doom them all to die just because it was right towards Dak. It wasn''t right towards Rebecca, not even to Bill. This Company, whoever they were, were utterly twisted. Evil. And there was nothing he could do about it.

 9 - Hidden Dangers

    The morning came, but James hadn''t slept all night and his eyes stung with dryness. Monsters chased him whenever he closed his lids, and the smell of blood permeated the air on the ship. Every sound played painfully on his nerves, sore from overuse. Groaning like a zombie, he climbed out of the bed and got ready. Simply going through the motions without feeling or tasting anything. Ignoring the red spots on the suit, ignoring the smell and the body on the floor.


    The others were quiet too. The silence raked his ears as much as the shotgun had the previous day.


    The ship wasn''t exactly quiet, but it was the utter lack of speech that did it. Dakarai had always been talkative. Joking, positive, silly. James needed that right now. Something positive. Instead, all he got was silence and sadness. And guilt. He hated it.


    He knew it wasn''t his fault, exactly. But it still felt like it. Dak had tried to save him. Had saved him. But he''d paid with his life. James hadn''t asked for it. Wasn''t even sure he was grateful for it. Had he been saved just to die another day? Maybe today?


    ''Are you ready?'' Bill''s voice cut through James'' dark thoughts like a knife.


    ''No.'' Rebecca stood by the bed, shivering like a paper in strong winds.


    ''Ready or not, we''ve got a job to do. Our lives depend on it. And we''re only three now, so we''ve got to be effective.''


    ''Bill, can''t she stay on the ship?'' James tried, hopelessly.


    ''You wanna go, just the two of us?''


    He didn''t, but he nodded anyway. ''She''s not gonna make it. Can''t you tell?''


    Bill''s lips thinned and his eyebrows came together over deeply shadowed eyes. ''Fine. Come here.'' He showed her how to scan from the ship''s computer, and pressed a walkie-talkie into her hand. ''It''s important you look at all times, and that you talk to us. Understood?''


    ''Yes,'' she whispered, almost inaudibly.


    Seven Abysses of the Seas, we''re dead, James thought as they left. But he hoped Rebecca would manage, and keep them safe. At least they''d have eyes from above, and she''d be out of harm''s way. Unless those baboon-hawks got onto the ship, or the eyeless dogs. He shivered.


    Bill grabbed the shovel, James took the shotgun. Then they left without another word.


    At first, they found nothing. But James hadn''t really expected to. They''d already been through here. And so had others as well, probably. He dreaded coming back to the room with the doll. The nutcracker. He''d looked the thing up on the computer during the night when he hadn''t been able to sleep. Freakiest thing he''d ever seen. He dearly hoped they wouldn''t meet another one. Even if he could shoot it, provided he didn''t miss, or it fired first, it was still a great danger.


    The comms hissed, and Rebecca announced they had missed something in a room to their right. No monsters.


    ''We''ll take a look. Over,'' James replied.


    She didn''t reply, but then he supposed she wasn''t in the mood to talk more than she had to. He walked in to the room, Bill stopped in the doorway, keeping an eye on the corridor for danger. What had they missed?


    James looked through the shelves and boxes in the room, finding nothing much. But then, something glinted in the light of his flashlight. He stepped closer. An old phone, lying partly hidden below a dusty desk. He crouched and reached for it, struggling in the encumbering suit to get a grip on it. But after a few failed attempts, he got it and stood upright.


    Suddenly, a scream echoed in the room. Startled, James dropped the phone and spun around. His flashlight fluttered all over the room, like an erratic butterfly''s movements. Nobody there but Bill, who stared at him from the doorway.


    ''What the?'' A chill ran down his spine, the hairs standing on end along his arms and neck, prickling. The scream continued, far too long. He turned back to the phone on the floor. The scream stopped.


    He stared at the old receiver for a long time.


    Had it come from that? That wasn''t possible.


    Gingerly, his hands sweaty in the gloves, James picked it up again.


    Maybe it was a trap?


    Pressing a button, he half expected it to give off another scream. But nothing happened. He pressed a few more, just to make sure. But only silence rewarded his efforts.


    ''Hello?'' he said, almost inaudibly.


    Nothing answered, and he felt silly for trying. Had he imagined it? It couldn''t work, surely? But then, where had the scream come from? Had someone tried to phone them? Who? How? This place was abandoned. He decided it was probably best to not think too hard on it, pushed it into a deep pocket, and returned to Bill.


    ''The hell was that?'' Bill asked, his voice hoarse.


    ''No idea.'' He shook his head, still not sure about it. ''The phone... screamed?''


    ''Must have been from something else.'' Bill frowned. Then he slapped James on the shoulder. ''We need to move. That racket''s bound to draw something to our location.''


    James nodded and let his flashlight shine down the corridors. Nothing there yet. ''Let''s go.''


    In silence, the pair continued forward. Eventually, they entered the place where it had happened. James and Bill both stopped, like on a command. Looking around, James spotted the nutcracker, still laying on the ground, its still figure sending chills through him. Dark spots flecked the wall and floor around it. James'' ears rang and nausea rose like a wave. He had to look away and take several deep breaths.


    Bill patted him on his back, then started moving again. Cautiously making his way around the room to an unexplored corridor, full of pipes.


    Come on, get a grip, man, James told himself and straightened. He had to follow. If Bill could do it, he could as well.


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    Avoiding his eyes, and fixating on Bill, James hurried past the scene.


    The corridor was dark and silent. Only the occasional creak or ping from the pipes running along the left wall. James listened closely. A faint rushing noise came from one of them. He found it odd that some things were still running in these old, abandoned places. Why hadn''t they been shut down when the people left? Was there a purpose to that? And in that case, what?


    ''Watch out,'' Bill said ahead.


    James stiffened for a second, his eyes searching for trouble. But he saw nothing but Bill''s orange back, standing by a t-crossing.


    ''What''s up?''


    ''Steam.''


    What? Carefully curious, James walked up beside Bill and followed his gaze. The left corridor was filled with a thick steam, obscuring any chance they had at seeing anything.


    ''Well, wonderful.'' The light from his flashlight did nothing but brighten the mist into a wall of milky-white soup. ''I''m not going in there.''


    ''No, better not.'' Bill headed off into the right corridor instead, and stopped a few metres in by a door.


    ''It is open?'' James asked, having a sinking feeling they''d have to brave the steam anyway.


    ''Yeah.''


    The door squealed open with an insistent added grunting every other given centimetre. A dank odour wafted out of the room. Inside rested a dusty darkness.


    ''By the seven,'' James muttered, glad he had the suit on. Even if it didn''t protect him fully from smells and sounds, it sure helped a lot. And he hoped it would protect from any potential residual diseases, mould and bacteria. Too bad it didn''t deter monsters too.


    They stepped into the room and looked around. There were toppled shelves and tables, old broken chairs, and a large hole, with dangling spider webs along the opening, in one wall. James stared at the hole, swallowing. Was it another giant spider? Or something worse?


    ''What did that?'' he whispered, shining his light on it. He grabbed the shotgun and pulled it out from the strap. He might need it.


    ''No idea. Something big, probably,'' Bill muttered. He looked over at James and nodded. ''Good idea.'' Then he stepped closer to the hole and the pile of dirt, furniture and other things around it. He poked something with the shovel.


    James kept the light fixed on the hole, peering into the dark, listening for any sounds.


    ''I''d say this is something''s lair,'' Bill said then. ''Lots of bone-pieces and rotting things here.''


    ''Maybe we should leave?'' James said.


    ''Ask if she sees anything.''


    ''Wh...'' James realized what he meant and pulled up the walkie. ''Rebecca? Over''


    The walkie-talkie hissed and her faint reply came after a few seconds. ''Yes?''


    ''Are there anything worthwhile in here? Can you see the hole, or tunnel ahead of us? And are there any monsters nearby? Over.''


    ''Uh, no. I can''t see anything. I see the tunnel, at least a little bit of it. But I don''t see anything moving in there. Can''t see any loot either. Sorry.''


    ''It''s okay. Just wanted to make sure. Over.''


    ''There''s n-''


    ''I heard,'' Bill interrupted. ''Let''s go the other way then.''


    Fuck.


    ''Yeah, sure.'' James hated when he was right. At least in these situations. But maybe they didn''t have to. ''We can go back to the hub, and see if one of the other corridors opens up into a new area?''


    Bill looked at him.


    ''Fine, fine,'' he muttered. He placed the shotgun back over his shoulder and followed Bill out of the room.


    ''It''d be a waste of time,'' Bill said as he entered the steam. ''There''s a new area right here.''


    ''Yeah, but... it''s not very, say... safe. Is it?''


    ''Nowhere''s safe.''


    James nodded. ''That''s fair. But I prefer to see.''


    Bill didn''t even bother to reply. James didn''t blame him, really. He was just whining and, he supposed he needed to talk to keep his thoughts away from other darker things. He sighed. This sucked. He could barely see his own feet, or the walls. He let his fingers trail gently along the left wall to keep him oriented, and warn him of any sudden gaps. He pointed the flashlight to the floor, in hopes of spotting any holes, tracks or obstacles.


    ''There''s loot further ahead!'' the walkie-talkie suddenly hissed. James nearly jumped out of his boots in surprise.


    ''Great, thanks. Over,'' he replied in a subdued tone. Better be quiet than sorry. How would they find anything here though? He couldn''t see shit. Nevertheless, he kept walking at a slow and steady pace.


    He hit something, and grunted, grabbing for the shotgun in sudden panic.


    ''Sshh!'' Bill hissed at him, his hand waving him back a step. ''I heard something. Listen.''


    James froze, straining his ears. The hiss of steam was louder here, and his own breaths were loud inside the helmet, droplets of water pattered over him. But he heard nothing else.


    ''Nothing,'' he whispered back. He looked at the walkie. Rebecca hadn''t seen anything either, or she was occupied now. He hoped for the former. Sweating, he started walking forward again, following the hazy, orange glow of Bill''s back.


    The darned corridor split.


    ''I hear louder steam from the left,'' Bill said. ''I''ll go and see if I can find a way to turn it off.''


    ''Alright. I''ll wait here.'' He looked back and forth, seeing nothing but thick fog. Behind them, the same story. Darkness and steam. Water condensed on his visor and ran in little rivers, making it even harder to see anything. He dearly hoped the shadowman wasn''t following them here. The bracken. He''d never see it in time. Suddenly more nervous than before, he looked around again. Making sure nothing crept up on him.


    The steam swirled, the droplets crawled across his visor. The cone of light from his hand swayed back and forth. He swore under his breath. Why had they bothered with this? Unless Bill turned this off, he''d insist they go back. Loot or no loot. He didn''t care.


    Something creaked.


    James twitched and raised the flashlight, searching. But he saw nothing. Sweating, he looked around again. Just foggy nothing.


    Another faint squeal disturbed the silence. Fuck.


    ''Bill?'' he called.


    Screw being quiet.


    He fished the walkie-talkie up, and pressed the button when something dropped from above.


    The sudden weight and pitch dark had him stagger sideways. A muted clatter of the walkie and flashlight hitting the ground reached his ears, but he barely registered them. Something sat on his face, curled around his head. Panicking, he tried to pull at it, and beat at it with his hands. Whatever it was, it was big enough to weigh him down, and it wiggled and pushed. The helmet creaked alarmingly.


    With his heart hammering a crescendo in his ears, James shouted for Bill. The helmet creaked again, and something scratched at the visor. Scratched, snapped, banged.


    ''Bill! Fucking help!'' he yelled, trying to run in Bill''s direction, but disoriented by the dark, he instead hit a wall and stumbled back, his shoulder bruised. The crack of the visor breaking shocked him into a standstill for a few aeons long seconds. Then a louder crack and a strange, loud squealing had James reeling back in full panic. An unpleasant, rank smell hit his face. Something had broken his visor.


    ''BILL!'' he yelled at the top of his lungs, and tore at the thing on his face with both hands, but he couldn''t get a good grip.


    Something flicked his nose, and pulled at the helmet, breaking the visor off entirely.


    By the seven, he was gonna die.


    James screamed, wordlessly, desperately.

 10 - Shovel It

    In the dark, James flailed and pulled at whatever had attached itself to his helmet. He yelled for Bill to help, staggering around, totally lost for directions. A sharp pain sliced his right cheek, just below his eye. He couldn''t breathe in the stinking air. Another sharp, burning hot sensation hit his right temple. James screamed. He would lose his face to this thing.


    A heavy force and muted metallic clang pushed him sideways so hard he fell. Then he smashed into something and jolted to a stop, hitting his head on the inside of the helmet. His hands and knees connected with the hard floor, and he rolled.


    A bright light blinded him and loud squeals and thumps resounded in bright clarity. Confused, James blinked and looked around. The weight over his head and shoulders was gone.


    ''No, you don''t!'' Bill roared, followed by another loud bang and squeal.


    Panting, James sat up, his head, shoulders, and hands pounding with each heartbeat. A flashlight lay beside him on the floor. He grabbed for it and shone the light towards the noise. Bill stood panting, bent over the shovel he carried, currently used as a steadying stick. James directed the light down, to the long, many-legged, segmented body lying there in a pool of blood. A few legs still twitched.


    ''What the...'' he breathed. What was that?


    Bill''s head snapped around to regard him at the sound of his voice. ''You alright, man?''


    James took a moment to consider the question. Was he alright? Hell no. Was he in one piece? It seemed like it. He went through his entire body, making sure no parts were missing. No bones broken. No eyes gouged out, his nose was still there. Thank the Seven. Only the visor was missing, the unpleasant, pungent air of the facility stinging his eyes and nose.


    ''Yeah, I''m fine,'' he replied.


    Bill walked up to him, the stained shovel placed over his shoulder, and reached out a hand. James grabbed it thankfully, and was pulled to his feet.


    ''You''re bleeding,'' Bill stated and shone his light in James face for a second.


    ''Yeah, feels like it,'' James agreed, squinting.


    ''Can you breathe?''


    ''Uh... not sure. Doesn''t feel great.''


    ''Here.'' Bill tossed what looked like an old dirty scarf to him.


    He looked at it for a moment before deciding it might be worth it after all, and draped it around his head, over his nose and mouth. Wouldn''t help his stinging eyes, but might protect him a little from the stale air. That''s when he noted the lack of steam.


    ''Hey! You turned off the steam.''


    ''Yeah. Found a valve further up and had just turned it when you started making a ruckus here. Hurried back as soon as I could.'' He grinned for a second.


    ''Hell, yeah, that thing came out of nowhere,'' James muttered, still shaken from the experience.


    Bill pointed up to the ceiling. ''They hang above and drop down on people sometimes. Terrifying buggers.''


    ''You...'' James shut his mouth. He''d been about to accuse Bill of knowing about them, but then Bill couldn''t know exactly where they''d be, or when, and in the steam they couldn''t have seen it anyway. And he had come running to save his ass. ''Thank you,'' he said instead.


    Bill nodded. ''Let''s go.''


    ''Wait!'' James didn''t have the walkie-talkie and looked around on the floor. There. He picked it up, and saw that it had been turned off. Probably from the impact as he dropped it. Rebecca must wonder what happened. He turned it on, and almost immediately her voice, hissing with static, came through.


    ''James! Bill? Are you alright? Please answer, please...''


    ''We''re okay,'' James answered.


    ''Oh dear! What happened? You just turned it off, and I saw something on the screen right by you for quite long. I was sure you''d die! What-''


    ''Calm down. We''re both fine. A bug attacked me, but Bill saved my ass. We''re gonna look for loot now, please be on your toes and warn us if anything comes close, okay? Over.''


    ''Yeah, yeah. Okay.'' She sounded stressed out, her voice barely more than a whisper.


    ''It''s okay, really. Don''t worry about it. Over,'' James added in a softer tone.


    He walked up to the oversized centipede-monster on the floor and poked it with his boot. It didn''t move. He swallowed. That thing had almost sliced his face off. His hand shook ever so slightly.


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    Just the adrenaline overdose, he told himself. Lords of the Seven.


    ''You coming?'' Bill urged again. ''We should move. All that racket...''


    ''Yeah. I don''t know.'' He coughed. ''I can''t breathe so well. Maybe I should go to the ship and grab another helmet.''


    Bill frowned deeply. Going back would take too long, James knew.


    ''Hey, let''s check this place out real fast, okay? Then we hurry back, before I fucking die from this poisoned air,'' James suggested then.


    ''Alright. Let''s go.''


    James hated the Company with a passion. They could give them better gear. They could have warned them. Could have had larger ships with bigger crews. But no, let the suckers die to the monsters because why not? His anger rose to earlier unimaginable levels as he tried to breathe shallow breaths through the stinking rag around his face, following Bill through the humid darkness.


    ''In there, on the left,'' Rebecca said on the comms.


    They went in and picked everything they could in the messy room. From there on, the looting progressed fairly well. After some time, they heard something move further off, and decided it was time to leave. They encountered no monsters on the way back. Though James was sure he heard the thumping footsteps behind them, closing in.


    Once back outside, breathing became even harder. The winds had picked up, blowing dry dust around, the sun was setting and long shadows loomed. Their heavy packs weighed them down, forcing James to breathe heavily. His eyes and throat burned as he gasped liked a stranded fish. He hoped this wouldn''t kill him. On top of all that, he was beginning to stiffen, all his muscles screaming at him for rest.


    Bill hushed at him then, needlessly, because he was already quiet. ''Dogs,'' he whispered.


    James froze for a second. Not those too. He followed Bill''s gaze. The large reddish beasts, three of them, roamed around in the dusk, sniffing and growling still a good way off.


    His knees felt weak just seeing them. But just be quiet, make no sound, and they won''t find you, he told himself. They couldn''t see, after all.


    They took a small detour to approach the ship from the back, keeping their movements'' slow and precise to make no unnecessary noise. James struggled to keep from coughing, but fear was a good motivator. As they moved the last stretch of open ground, from a few straggling trees to the ship, maybe thirty meters or so, the ground trembled.


    ''Shit,'' Bill hissed under his breath.


    James froze for a second. Some guttural barks alerted him to the dogs. They''d heard either Bill or the tremors themselves. Adrenaline surged, and he bolted forward at the same time as Bill. The ground trembled again, and James stumbled, running on the verge of falling for a few steps before catching his balance again.


    ''There''s something big! Run!'' Rebecca''s voice yelled both through the open door to the ship, and the walkie-talkie on James'' belt.


    In the corner of his eyes, James saw the three dogs make a sharp turn towards him.


    ''Fuuuck!''


    He threw himself forward after Bill who was halfway up the ladder to the ship. The ground shook and rolled. He grappled for the rail and rungs of the ladder as Bills footsteps banged loudly on the metal walkway. He pulled himself up just as a dog came rushing past, maws wide open.


    The ground rumbled loudly behind him, the entire shuttle shook, and a rush of air and pebbles blasted him from behind. Without looking back, he bolted along the walkway, took the turn at the front to reach the entrance and sucked in a breath. An eyeless dog had climbed up over the rail, just by the door.


    James ducked and skidded inside the ship on his knees. Bill slammed a hand on the red button as soon as he was past, and the doors slapped shut behind him. A thud hit the metal and a loud growl resounded.


    Shaken, James sat on the floor, staring at the door for several seconds.


    ''Oh my god, James, Bill!'' Rebecca''s arms encircled him in a warm embrace.


    Taking a long deep breath, James closed his eyes. Maybe, just maybe, he needed that hug right now, he thought. The hug made him feel like he''d come home. Like he''d finally reached his family, though he didn''t have one.


    ''Come here,'' Rebecca said, and motioned for Bill to join them.


    To James'' surprise, he did. And for a few seconds, they sat on the floor, arms around each other like the best of friends.


    It felt good to be home.


    The moment ended and Bill left them, hurrying towards the controls. The shuttle rumbled and took off only moments later, leaving the blind dogs and whatever other thing had been out there.


    James climbed back up to his feet, pulled off the scarf around his face and took several deep breaths of the air. His eyes and throat still stung, but he thought it already felt a little better. He''s only been exposed for a short time after all. Maybe an hour or two. Everything else however, that was another story.


    ''Oh my, James, come here. You''re a mess. You''re bleeding!'' Rebecca pulled at his helmet, and he let her remove it. She gasped loudly. ''The whole visor is gone! What happened to you?''


    ''Uh, yeah, I know. There was a monster.''


    She dropped the helmet to the floor and stepped decisively to the cabinet with their first aid box and pulled it open, rummaging around.


    ''What was it?'' she asked, without looking up.


    James couldn''t help but smile a little. Clearly, she needed something to occupy her mind with. Well, no wonder. He refused to let his eyes drop to the floor, to the headless body laying there.


    ''Imagine a centipede, only longer than I am tall,'' he said. ''It dropped down from the ceiling, and sort of, wrapped itself around my head. Then it... uh, tore the visor off.'' He pulled off a glove and touched his cheek. His fingers came off sticky with half-dried blood.


    ''Don''t touch it,'' Rebecca snapped and pulled his hand down.


    ''Sorry?''


    She dabbed his face with something. It stung like a bitch. But he didn''t complain, instead he clenched his fists and let her do it.


    ''There. You''re good. Let me put this on.'' She added some plaster or self adhering gauze bandage. ''Done!'' She smiled brightly.


    ''Thanks.'' He smiled. Then the world tilted, and went pitch black.

 11 - Strange Encounter

    James opened his eyes and stared at the underside of a bunk-bed for a while before understanding what he looked at.


    Oh, right. He''d managed to survive the centipede''s attack and then narrowly avoided those horrid dogs. Then they''d hugged. What happened next? He wasn''t sure.


    Looking around, James spotted Rebecca carefully placing things in the red cabinet by the door. Still closed, thank the Lords of the Seven.


    The computer bleeped, and James turned to look at Bill''s back, his fingers dancing over the keys. Maybe he wrote a log? Or maybe he was ordering something? Or scanning for loot? They had one more day here, didn''t they?


    His throat dry, James coughed and sat up. Both Bill and Rebecca twisted around to look at him. Rebecca''s face brightened with a smile. Bill merely gave him a slight nod.


    ''You''re awake!'' Rebecca announced. ''You gave us quite a scare, fainting like that. I will not tolerate such behaviour in the future.'' She waved a finger in the air in his general direction.


    Confused, James stuttered.


    Rebecca laughed. ''I''m only kidding. Are you alright? Do you need anything?''


    ''Some water would be nice,'' James croaked. ''My throat hurts and I feel like I could drink an entire ocean.''


    ''Coming right up.''


    A few moments later, James was back up and had been updated about their situation. Apparently, he''d been out for a about an hour, and something huge had showed up on the ship''s scanner right before they returned, but neither of them had seen anything but the dogs.


    ''I''m sure it was underground,'' James said. ''The ground shook like crazy, I almost fell.''


    ''I felt it too,'' Bill agreed. ''I thought you were a goner, for sure.''


    ''Thanks,'' he huffed. ''What were you putting in the cabinet earlier?''


    ''Just some stuff we ordered with the rocket,'' Rebecca answered. ''When the dogs had gone, we called down some provisions, first aid, another shovel, and some reserve flashlights.''


    ''Good idea. Didn''t the rocket draw the dogs back though?''


    He wasn''t sure he''d have wanted to go out and get anything from the supply-rocket in this hazardous place. It was one thing by the Company building, but here... anything could happen.


    ''They came sniffing around a while later, but by then we were back safely in the shuttle,'' Bill said matter of fact.


    ''You''re crazy,'' he laughed.


    ''You gotta be to survive here,'' Bill said.


    Both James and Rebecca nodded, sombering down a little. James shuffled his feet, avoiding to look by the cabinet. At their dead friend. He''d been crazy alright. Sadly, it had cost him his life.


    ''Well, let''s not take unnecessary risks, though.''


    Bill and Rebecca nodded.


    ''So, one final round before leaving?'' Bill said.


    ''You sure that''s a good idea?'' James asked. His body protested, his head hurt. Would they make it? ''There might be more creatures as well.''


    ''It''s not, but we still need a little more for the quota. I can''t take any chances.''


    ''Let''s scan first, see what we can before we go?'' Rebecca suggested. ''I''ll come too.''


    ''There you go.'' Bill nodded.


    ''We''ll need to hurry though,'' James added. ''Look at the time.''


    ''Yeah.'' Bill nodded. ''We''ll do the bare minimum, then get the hell out of dodge.''


    ''Sounds good to me,'' Rebecca said with a painfully faked smile.


    James wondered how well she''d hold up considering her earlier state of mind. But if they stayed together, it should be fine. ''Let''s go.''


    ''Last hurdle,'' Rebecca said, probably trying to cheer them up. Or herself.


    James nodded. ''Then another three days after that. And another, and another...''


    Her face soured. ''Yes, but... let''s focus on one thing at a time. Yeah? No need to be negative like that.''


    ''I''m realistic, not negative.''


    ''I... yeah, but...''


    ''No, you''re right. Sorry. I shouldn''t be like that. Let''s take one thing at a time. It''s probably better for our sanity,'' he muttered. He felt defeated. Dak was dead, they had to go in there again, then back to the Company, then out again. For a year. No breaks other than the one day at the Company building. A year. He almost laughed. It was insane. They''d all die way before that. Unless... unless they were the absolute best team in the history of teams. And luckiest.


    ''What are you thinking?'' Rebecca asked, tilting her head. Her dark eyes tired and sunken.


    ''Oh nothing.'' He snorted. ''Just thinking about how we need to be the best team of them all.''


    Bill turned around and gave him a an odd look. Then he put his helmet back on walked to the door.


    ''Yeah, let''s be the best team!'' Rebecca raised a hand into the air.


    It took James a second before he realized she wanted a high five. He hit it, and couldn''t help but smile. At least they had each others'' backs. They were actually not a bad team, he thought. But they were only three now. How would that effect them in the long run?


    ''Bill?'' James waited until he got the man''s attention. ''What happens when you lose a team member?''


    Bill and pondered the question, or how to answer it, for a moment, tapping a finger on his visor.


    ''Well, when we get back to the company, we should get a new recruit. We need to help them understand the ropes here as fast as possible. They''re gonna be a liability in the beginning.''


    ''Like we all were, eh?''


    ''Exactly.'' A slight smile creased Bill''s mouth for a second. ''But you''re doing all right.''


    ''Wow, thanks.''


    Rebecca hid a laugh behind a hand, and James smirked.


    ''Let''s do our best, and get back to the Company whole, yeah?'' He grabbed the reserve helmet and tested it on. It was a little tight, but felt alright. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ''Yes, let''s.'' Rebecca agreed and followed suit.


    ''Ready?'' Bill asked, standing by the door.


    James gave a thumbs up, and Bill opened the doors.


    ''I wish they''d let us bring a scanner.''


    ''You have one,'' Rebecca said, raising an eyebrow.


    ''No, to scan for the monsters and loot, like on the ship. We just have this little shit!'' He pointed at the small scanner on his belt. ''It''s not exactly useful other than for determining the worth of things and finding out information about the monsters. But I''d like a better scanner, or a map!''


    ''Maps would be great,'' Bill agreed. ''But let''s move it, yeah?''


    They nodded and sped up their walk. James right shin still pained him, but it wasn''t disabling him, so he didn''t complain. At least he had a head still. And a face. He shuddered at the memory of those mandibles snapping in the air right by his face in the dark.


    They hurried back into the facility, and quickly passed the looted tunnels, finding new, unexplored routes. They stayed together as much as possible, but split up from time to time to ensure they were as efficient as possible. Rebecca went with Bill and the shovels, while James had the shotgun at the ready. But they only met a few loot bugs and avoided a spider.


    Finally, they were ready to leave and met back up at an intersection.


    ''You guys ready to go?'' James asked as they walked towards him, hands and pockets full.


    ''Yeah, we found a room full of stuff,'' Rebecca announced, a bit out of breath.


    ''Anything happened?'' James looked behind them, instantly suspicious.


    ''Something was stomping around, we didn''t wanna stay and find out,'' Bill explained.


    Stomping? Maybe the same thing he''d heard behind them earlier, James thought. He was happy if they could avoid encounters. But he was ready if they got close. He hoped.


    ''Let''s go.''


    James led the way towards the entrance as fast as possible. It was a long way to go. But they still had almost an hour. He hoped they''d get out without any problems.


    But no sooner had he had the thought than he heard the stomps echo down the corridor behind them.


    ''Shit.''


    They all looked back.


    ''We should haul some ass,'' Bill commented. Then he set off at a run, passing James in a few seconds.


    ''Wait, we... never mind. Come on, Rebecca.''


    She nodded, her face pale but composed. They chased after Bill at a steady jog, not wanting to tire themselves needlessly. But James had a sense of urgency and had to remind himself to not just blindly flee and pay attention to the way. But if Bill ran off like that, it usually meant they should too.


    The thumping behind them suddenly reappeared at another intersection from the left. Louder.


    James glanced in its direction, and saw something move in the dark further away.


    ''Go!'' he barked, and set off at full speed.


    Rebecca''s footsteps increased as well, and she soon passed him by. She was a swift runner when scared. Each step hurt more than the previous as James injuries were jolted by the impacts on the concrete. His right leg soon felt on fire. Breathing hard, he glanced back, wondering if he could slow down.


    Something lunged around a corner behind him, pink and low to the ground, slithering like a lizard, but far too big, with long front legs and a weird face.


    James didn''t pause to look any closer. Adrenaline jolted through him and he pushed forward faster, gasping for breath. The entrance wasn''t very far off.


    The loud thumps of the creature closed in on him, way too fast. This thing was oiled lightning! Panic built up in his chest until he thought his chest would explode. The he spotted Bill and Rebecca up ahead. Bill stood on a rail, brandishing his shovel, and Rebecca held the door open.


    Were they planning to attack the thing? Were they mad? He should shoot it, if anything. It was surely too big for a mere shovel? But it was too late for that.


    James didn''t slow down. He simply had to trust them.


    ''Go, go, go!'' Bill shouted, and readied the shovel.


    James somehow managed to speed up, the stomping mere inches behind him. He could basically feel the creature breathing down his neck. Gasping he bolted for the open door, where Rebecca beckoned for him with frantic hand movements.


    A bonk and loud grunt behind him told him Bill had hit the monster. James halted and dropped the loot on the ground right outside the door, spun around, and pulled the shotgun out in one smooth motion. He cocked it and aimed down the corridor.


    The monster was the freakiest thing he''d ever seen. And that said a lot by now.


    The lizard-like body jerked sideways to avoid the shovel and the long tail whipped around. It propelled itself forward on two long front legs, more like arms. Its pale, pink skin were bruised and bleeding around the shoulders from Bill''s hits. The wide-mouthed head, almost a bit human-like, with a toothy mouth and flower-like protrusions around it, snapped after Bill''s legs. But the man managed to jump sideways without falling down. The shovel smashed right into the monster''s face, making it grunt and step back a moment.


    James couldn''t shoot, he''d risk hitting Bill.


    ''Come on!'' Rebecca yelled.


    Bill jumped down and dashed for the door as the monster shook its head and growled. James jumped back to not be in the way. Rebecca slammed the door in the monster''s face as soon as Bill had passed, and James threw his shoulder against the door to keep it closed. The door shook and James almost fell back with the impact. Bill and Rebecca joined him seconds later, keeping the door shut.


    The monster roared inside. Then everything went quiet.


    After a few seconds, James drew in a deep breath, relaxing a fraction.


    ''Did it leave?'' Rebecca whispered.


    ''Let''s keep it shut a while longer,'' Bill grunted, and James nodded breathlessly.


    A few minutes passed in silence. Then they stood from the door and picked their scrap back up. As soon they''d gather everything, they set off at a brisk pace towards the shuttle. The sun hung low in the sky, glowing ruddy through the dusty air. Gusts of wind whined around the weathered rocks and rattled the few trees'' dry branches. Long shadows stretched across the landscape.


    ''Thank the seven,'' James whispered. They were alive, and he saw nothing dangerous ahead.


    ''Just keep moving and we should be out of this mess in no time,'' Bill said. ''There''s plenty of time.''


    ''That''s great!'' Rebecca said.


    ''That was an easy run, all things considered,'' James puffed, his lungs and leg still hurting from the earlier exertion. ''But I could have done without that last one. What a freaky thing.''


    ''Oh, that''s right,'' Rebecca said, raising a finger. ''I scanned it.''


    ''What? When?''


    ''When you were busy running and Bill hit it.''


    ''Seven seas...'' James muttered. ''Bill, why''d you attack it? Wasn''t that an unnecessary risk?''


    ''Maybe. But they''re really dangerous. I couldn''t trust you''d get out without our help. They''re freakishly fast.''


    ''You''ve seen them before?'' James gaped.


    ''Well, a few times. Usually it''s the last thing someone sees.'' He looked desolate for a moment, staring straight ahead. ''This is the first time I''ve seen one and nobody''s been eaten,'' he added.


    ''Holy... '' James breathed. He wondered how much Bill had actually seen. And how he could be so calm after seeing all that. But maybe he wasn''t calm, maybe that was just a facade? Maybe he was just used to death? Imagine seeing your friends not just die, but being eaten. He shuddered.


    The shuttle stood in the distance, glinting in the setting sun, the sand blowing around it in little clouds. Almost peaceful, James thought. He let his eyes sweep across the land, taking it all in. He hadn''t really had the time to properly look before. The calm almost stressed him now. Was something lurking? Would something jump out and attack? Any tremors in the ground? His eyes strayed to something on the plain. A glint of light on something. He squinted. Did it move?


    ''Hey, you guys see that?'' He pointed.


    They stopped and looked.


    ''I see something, yeah,'' Bill agreed.


    ''It''s orange?'' Rebecca asked, uncertain. ''Like... us?''


    ''Or like some monster,'' James pointed out.


    Bill nodded.


    ''Kinda small?'' she asked.


    ''I can''t make it out. Let''s go closer, but carefully,'' James said. The others agreed.


    They''d pass it on the way to the shuttle anyway. But if it was a monster, they''d better be prepared, James thought.


    ''Can you carry this?'' he handed a bag of loot over to Bill who took it without a word. Then he readied the shotgun. Again. If it was a monster, he''d be ready to shoot it this time.


    By the time they closed in on the figure, the sun had vanished behind a mountain range, and Rebecca and Bill lit their way with the flashlights. They pointed them towards the stranger, and it became obvious it was another human being. Another Company employee by the looks of it. But with a slightly different shade of orange on the suit, James thought. More yellowish. The person stood still, looking their way in the twilight. Waiting?


    ''What the hell?'' James muttered.


    ''Now that''s something I haven''t seen before,'' Bill said in a low tone. ''Be careful. Maybe it''s a trick.''


    James nodded.


    He didn''t lower the shotgun as they approached the stranger.

 12 - Too Many?

    The group stopped a few meters away from the suited stranger. Nobody said a word for a while. Then, Rebecca raised a hand.


    ''Hello? Who are you?''


    ''Hello. Are you from The Company?'' The man shifted position from one foot to the other.


    ''Are you?'' Bill snapped as James kept the shotgun aimed at the stranger.


    He noticed James, and raised his arms into the air. His hands shook. ''Yes, yes! Please, don''t shoot. ''I''m Rich. Rich Harver. I mean no harm.''


    Rebecca glanced back at James. ''What do we do?''


    He shrugged, sweating from the tension. Who was this guy? Should they trust him? Shoot him?


    ''Show your face!'' Bill demanded then.


    Of course, if it was a monster, surely it wouldn''t show its face. Though surely he wasn''t, right?


    ''What?'' The man lowered his arms. ''I can''t breathe here. Can I come with you to the ship? Please? It''s almost fully dark as well.''


    ''No!'' they all said in unison.


    James gripped the rifle harder, prepared for anything. You could breathe the air, just not for long. He knew.


    ''Please! They left me! They left me here! I''ll die!'' The man dropped to his knees, shaking visibly, heaving deep breaths.


    James almost pressed the trigger when the man moved. By the seven. What should they do?


    ''Remove the helmet,'' Bill said again, shining his flashlight at the man. ''We''re not gonna ask again. We can''t trust you''re not some monster until we see you properly.''


    ''All right, all right, just... don''t shoot,'' he said in a shaky voice and raised his hands to his helmet. Slowly, he unclasped and removed it.


    The man looked haggard and worn, in his forties probably. Brown hair with greying temples lay plastered against his head, sweaty face, some wrinkles around and deep shadows below his squinting eyes, a few days'' beard stubble.


    ''Please? Are you happy? Can I put it back on?''


    ''Yeah,'' Rebecca answered.


    James could tell Bill wasn''t happy about that so soon from his sharp head-turn. But he didn''t object. James kept the rifle trained on the guy as he swiftly replaced the helmet.


    ''Thank you, guys. Really. You don''t understand how lucky this is. I couldn''t believe my eyes when I saw your ship-''


    ''Wait. You saw our ship? When?'' Bill asked.


    ''Uh... when you landed. I''ve been trying to reach you before you leave for three days. I saw you land, and knew I''d only have one chance to reach you. Almost died getting here, dodging worms, baboon-hawks, and dogs all the way. Even those pesky little birds almost got me a few times.


    ''Birds?'' James wondered aloud. The only birds they''d seen had always flown off when they approached. Surely they weren''t harmful?


    ''Yeah, they land on you, if there''s many they can lift you.'' The man seemed more animated now, but still kept his hands up.


    ''The manticoils? I thought they were... nice.''


    ''Not those, the other ones. The pesky little flying snakes.''


    James hadn''t seen those, he supposed. But of course there were dangerous flying creatures as well. Shit.


    ''Where''s your crew?'' Rebecca asked.


    Should have been their first question, really, James thought.


    Rich waved a hand in the general direction he''d come from. ''They left. I mean, she left. Two of us died in there, and I was too late. Tess was on the ship, and I couldn''t reach it in time. She... she left me.'' He drew in a long shivering breath.


    ''Why did she leave you?'' Bill growled.


    ''What? I was late, man!'' Rich''s voice pitched.


    From fear? Fear of them disbelieving him, or fear they''d find out the truth? James swallowed. He''d rather not shoot a guy, but could they trust him?


    ''Don''t you know what happens if you''re late?'' the man asked.


    Bill nodded. James recalled what Bill had said about being on time or get left behind. The ship''s auto-pilot took over if they didn''t make it back before the deadline. Something like that. Lords of the Seven, he hated the Company.


    ''She left, or the ship left with her. Either way, I was stranded here. I''ve survived for four days, guys. Please. Let me come with you. I won''t be in the way, I promise. I''ll help.''


    Rebecca looked back at them, her eyes wide. James could tell she wanted to help the man. Heck, it was a good idea if he was just being truthful. They''d be a full team again. They needed that. But were they ready for that so soon?


    ''What do you think?'' she asked quietly. ''He could help.''


    ''If he''s not some traitor,'' Bill grumbled. ''I don''t know.''


    ''I think we should allow it. But we''ll have to be extra careful not to trust too early,'' James whispered. ''He''s probably just trying to survive. I mean... if either of us had been left, we''d do the same thing, right?''


    They both nodded.


    ''Alright,'' Bill addressed the man. ''You can come with us. But we''re expecting you to do your part.''


    ''Of course! Of course! Seven Seas, thank you so much. You don''t'' even know how much this means to me. I thought I was a goner. Thank you, thank you...'' he kept thanking them several times more, and even crawled after them a few steps before getting back up.


    James reluctantly placed the shotgun back over his shoulder and grabbed his loot again, but kept his eyes on the man as they walked. Rich kept his eyes down, maybe afraid to look at them. Or shy? Who knew. He''d called to the Seven, so he was from Gordion, just like James, he''d noted.


    They entered the shuttle together, and as the man spotted Dakarai''s corpse by the cabin, he simply said, ''Oh,'' and nodded to himself. James assumed he''d seen his share of death as well, and wondered for how long he''d worked for the Company.


    They all removed their helmets, and watched Rich carefully. He begged them for water and food, since he hadn''t had anything for days. They complied, and then the new guy simply fell asleep on the floor after eating ravenously.


    ''He must be exhausted,'' Rebecca said, sitting beside Bill on the bottom bunk bed.


    Bill nodded, his eyes on the stranger.


    ''It fits with his story though. I''d be dead tired too after four days out there, day and night,'' James commented and ran his fingers through his matted hair.


    ''I wonder how he made it here,'' Bill said. ''The shuttles are automatically routed to a good landing site, and probably also to a place far away enough from other teams that we can''t get in contact with each other. Makes sense?''


    ''Yeah,'' James and Rebecca both agreed.


    ''The Company is devious, so it would make sense they try to keep everyone separate, to prevent people from grouping together,'' James added.


    ''Right,'' Bill said.


    ''What happens now?'' Rebecca asked. ''What happens when we go back to the Company? Which we should be doing already, by the way.''The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ''I don''t know,'' Bill grumbled. ''Normally, a new employee would be arriving shortly before we leave again. But now we are already four again, so I don''t know.''


    ''Let''s go and find out,'' James said, turned to the computer, and routed it to the Company. A small sense of pride for knowing how to do it simmered behind all the confusion, pain and burning fatigue in his body.


    As the shuttle rumbled loudly and shuddered to a stop on the pier by the Company building the next morning, they were all awake and suited up.


    ''Hey, thanks guys so much for this. I owe you my life. I can''t begin to thank you enough,'' Rich said as they waited for the engines to die down and the doors to open to the rain and wind of Gordion.


    ''Don''t mention it,'' James said, glancing at the new guy''s yellowish suit. He wondered if each team had different colours, or if it was just an old suit.


    ''Just do your job, and we''ll keep your back clear,'' Bill grunted.


    ''Guys,'' Rebecca said. ''What about Dak?''


    She had tears in her eyes, James noted. Shit, with all the things happening he''d managed to push thoughts of Dak away for a while.


    ''Yeah, what do we do? Bill?''


    Rich looked at them, but didn''t say anything.


    Bill sighed. ''Help me bring him out.''


    James nodded. He''d rather not, but what could they do? Together Bill and James lifted and carried the headless corpse out from the ship.


    ''Where to?'' James grunted.


    ''The only place we can leave things,'' Bill huffed.


    ''Wait... no.'' He stopped dead in his tracks.


    ''Do you see any other places here?''


    ''Bill! That''s the monster!''


    Bill sighed deeply, and set Dak''s body down. ''Yes. I know. Are you gonna fight about it?''


    ''I''m not fighting,'' James snapped. ''But it''s very inappropriate. Don''t you agree? Dak''s a fucking hero, and you wanna feed him to that... that thing!''


    ''I don''t want to. We have no other choice.''


    ''What''s happening?'' Rebecca came jogging out to them, hands full with scrap. ''What are you doing?''


    James said nothing, wrestling with his thoughts and feelings. He understood what Bill said, but he couldn''t ignore the wrongness of it all.


    ''They''re going to hand that, the dead one, over to the Company,'' Rich said unexpectedly.


    ''What!'' Rebecca shouted. ''You can''t! It''s not right!''


    ''It''s not right,'' Bill agreed. ''But if we don''t, we''re fined and we might not make the next quota. It''s either hand him in, or risk dying. Which way do you want it?''


    ''I''ve seen people chucked into the sea,'' Rich offered.


    ''Wha... but...'' Rebecca looked listless from one to the other, to the edge of the pier and to the Company building. ''That''s... none of that''s good.'' She sniffled.


    ''Let''s do what''s best for the living, yeah?'' Bill said in an unusually soft tone. ''We''re alive, and if I can help it, I''d like to keep it that way.''


    After a moment''s silence and feet shuffling, James and Rebecca nodded.


    Bill grabbed the corpse''s arms and they both carried him to the counter in the large building. James swallowed nervously as they approached. The hatch behind the counter was closed. But he heard noises from behind it. Or maybe he was imagining them? Did anyone other than the monster inhabit this building? It was huge after all. Surely someone must work there? He glanced up. The tall, grey walls stretched up and vanished into the thick, low clouds.


    They placed Dak''s body on the counter as gently as they could, then stepped back.


    ''Ring the bell,'' Bill said quietly.


    James nodded. Suddenly, stinging tears sprang to his eyes, and his throat constricted. Sadness for his lost friend, guilt for causing his death, and a sudden realisation that this would probably be all of their fates, if they weren''t eaten by monsters on the moons, hit him. What a terrible situation they were stuck in.


    He tapped the bell once, and stepped back to a safe distance, struggling to keep his face passive.


    Rebecca and Bill came to stand beside him, solemn and quiet.


    The hatch opened.


    James closed his eyes.


    A hissing, scraping noise, a thud, and then the metallic thunk of the hatch closing again.


    James opened his eyes again. The counter was empty, save from a few dark stains. Fuck.


    ''Let''s get the rest over with,'' Bill said and patted him on the shoulder.


    Nothing else to do but to work. James went to the shuttle and started picking up things. Then they all went back and forth a few times, carrying their loads.


    Rebecca placed something on the counter then that James recognized. An old receiver. He stared at it for a moment, then shook his head. Must have been some interference, or malfunction. Nothing else was possible. Or he''d imagined it. He''s been very stressed, after all.


    Someone coughed behind him. ''Excuse me.''


    James and Rebecca looked back.


    A woman stood there. Long blond hair in a pony-tail, blue pants, dark blue rain jacket. Maybe thirty years old.


    ''Oh, hi!'' Rebecca said lightly, as if nothing was amiss. ''You must be the new... uh... yes.''


    The new woman tilted her head ever so slightly and quirked her mouth.


    ''I''m the new employee, yes.'' She stepped closer, extending her hand. ''The voice in the speaker by the door said I should join the crew on the pier, so I assume that''s you guys?''


    ''Yes, that''s us. Welcome. I''m Rebecca '' Rebecca shook her hand, then glanced at the others, raising her eyebrows as if she wanted them to save her.


    ''I''m Olivia,'' the new woman said pleasantly.


    Bill stepped forward and shook her hand, and then James and Rich followed. They introduced themselves, and explained that they were almost done unloading the ship. Then they''d have some time to get more acquainted before leaving on their first mission with the new assets.


    ''So, can I help?'' Olivia asked, and looked around.


    ''You need to get a suit first,'' Bill said. ''Unless you wanna dirty your clothes.'' He indicated their flecked and grimy suits.


    All the dust had become mud in the rain, but also, thankfully, washed off most of the red stains, James thought. At least from the suits, if not from his conscience.


    ''Alright. Where do I get one?''


    ''You''ll have to wait for the orders to come in with the rocket,'' James explained.


    ''Oh, rocket? Cool.'' She smiled, her eyes alight with excitement despite her outer calm.


    So alive, James thought. Had they really been that naive and happy when they first got here? Yes, probably more. Would she see them all as dull and grouchy like he''d seen Bill from the start, James wondered. Maybe not, if he put some effort into it.


    ''Umm, guys,'' Rebecca said then. ''We''re five now. We only have beds for four.''


    ''Oh yeah... uh. Who wants to share beds?'' James asked, feeling silly.


    ''Wait, for real?'' Olivia laughed. ''Only four beds? But we''re five.''


    ''Yeah, something went a little wrong, so we''re now one too many,'' Bill said and dinged the bell.


    ''Well, that''s not good. I... can wait for another crew?''


    ''No, don''t worry about it. If they said you''re coming with us, we''ll make space,'' James said. ''Rebecca... could you... do you...'' He coughed.


    Rebecca laughed. She got it. Neither of them wanted to share a bed with Bill, and they didn''t feel comfortable enough with the new guys yet.


    ''Yes, of course.''


    ''Thanks.'' His face heated, and he was glad for the rain and wind. Nobody''d notice. Probably.


    A shriek had James heart take a double-tap, and he spun around just in time to see the red tentacles yank all the loot in through the hatch with a loud rattle. Olivia stood with both hands by her mouth, staring at the hatch.


    ''Holy shit! Did you guys see that? Did you see that!'' She pointed towards it, stepping backwards.


    Well, that went well. ''Yeah, don''t worry about it. Just don''t stand too close. It''s just... uh...''


    Olivia turned her wide eyes on him. ''I''m VERY worried about it! What was that?''


    ''It''s a... It''s... I don''t actually know. Look, it doesn''t matter what it is. It''s just a thing that brings the loot into the Company building,'' he said, trying to lessen the impact by being nonchalant about it. ''Some squid...''


    ''You are true professionals,'' The Company''s AI voice stated. The red numbers on the screen showed him they''d only just cleared the quota. One thing stood out to him. Company Suit ¨C 5G. Five, James tried to make sense of it. Five! Company suit. Suit. Dak. He couldn''t breathe.


    Olivia stared at him for a while, then back at the building. ''My guy, that''s no squid,'' she snapped. ''And I don''t like it. But sure, don''t tell me, I guess. Where do I get my suit?''


    ''Uh...'' James tried to refocus on the conversation again. She''d think they were all crazy. Oh well. It could have gone worse, all things considered. What had she asked?


    ''I''m ordering one right now,'' Bill called from the shuttle. ''And some more food and gear. Watch your heads and don''t get flat.''


    ''Don''t get flat?'' Olivia''s voice pithed a little.


    ''Just the rocket,'' Rebecca said. ''Come over here, look.''


    James followed Olivia towards the rocket''s landing pad. Rich already stood there, squinting at the sky.


    ''Hey,'' James said and stopped by his side. Rich was taller than him, he realized. Pretty wide-shouldered as well. Great if he was strong. Would help with the looting later. ''How long have you worked for the Company?''


    Rich bit his upper lip a bit, giving him the face of a bulldog. ''Not sure. But maybe a month.''


    ''Wow. That''s pretty impressive. We''ve been at it for a week now. Well, two missions. So, almost¨C''


    ''Eight days,'' Rich finished for him.


    ''Yes. The worst eight days of my life. Feels like a year already,'' James said.


    Rich smiled vaguely. ''It can always be worse.''


    Well, that was uplifting. But at least they were five now. It should make things a little easier.


    The rocket roared, the flames lighting the whole place up in bright yellow.


    The happy little song played, and James remembered a friend who''d danced to it once.

 13 - 56 Vow

    ''Vow?'' James asked.


    ''Yeah. It should be a little... less sandy,'' Bill muttered. ''Trees and stuff.''


    ''Ooh, I wonder what it''s like,'' Olivia beamed, standing behind them, looking at the screen, her newly acquired suit on and helmet ready under her arm.


    ''Hopefully... calm,'' Rebecca said.


    James noted a switch in her hands before she hid them behind her back.


    ''Yeah,'' he agreed. ''Let''s hope.


    ''I take it the previous mission wasn''t?'' Olivia asked, looking around the ship.


    ''No, not exactly,'' James said quietly.


    ''Not at all,'' Rich added.


    ''What happened?'' Olivia asked, turning her blue eyes back to the men.


    ''You sure you wanna know?'' James asked.


    ''Oh, some people died,'' Rich muttered.


    ''What? Oh no! I''m so sorry, I didn''t mean to... oh dear.'' She looked stricken, her hands had parked in front of her mouth again, muffling her words.


    ''Rich, what the hell,'' James, flared. ''Maybe not?''


    Rich shrugged. ''Sorry. But it''s just as well she realized how dangerous it is, no?''


    ''Yes, well, but you could¨C''


    ''Yes. It''s good she knows,'' Bill interjected. ''So, Olivia. Be prepared to run, to fight, and to leave your dead co-corkers behind.''


    James almost swallowed his tongue in chock. ''Bill!'' He was crude, he knew, but this was a new low. Or was it? Or was this him hurting?


    ''Well, don''t leave them behind if you can help it,'' Bill added. ''It''s not good.''


    Olivia simply stared at them.


    ''Come here,'' Rebecca said then, placing a hand on the new woman''s shoulder. ''I''ll explain why they''re being dicks.'' She emphasized the last word, gave them all a fiery glare, before leading Olivia away from them, to the doors.


    ''What did I do?'' James asked, a little hurt that he''d been included.


    Bill chuckled. But when James looked at him, his face was as passive as always.


    ''Alright, what do we need to know about this Vow?''


    ''It''s forested. If any trees move, run,'' Bill said.


    ''Oh right,'' Rich said. ''I hate them.''


    ''Walking trees?'' James felt a crushing helplessness press in over him. ''Anything else that''ll kill us?''


    Bill turned around to face him. ''James. Calm down. We can handle it. We''re a good team. The best team, remember?''


    He hadn''t thought Bill had cared about that silly thing. ''Yeah.''


    ''You have a shotgun, we have shovels and light, we''re five people. Only one new. We know what''s at stake and how to do it. I''ll stay on the ship and keep you safe. Alright?''


    It was oddly comforting when Bill said those things like that. Maybe they''d be fine, after all. ''Yeah. Let''s hope so. Shouldn''t one of the new guys stay on the ship? For this first trip?'' He was thinking of Olivia, since she''d been spooked enough already.


    Bill''s eyes swivelled to the side for a split second, at Rich. ''No, I''m more used to the scanner and controls. Don''t turn off the walkies unless there''s dogs nearby. And remember to watch out for not just monsters, but the turrets and mines as well.''


    ''For real... this just keeps getting better.'' James took a deep breath. But they''d be fine. He had to believe that. ''We can do it.''


    ''Good.''


    Rich merely nodded, and James wondered what headspace he was in. Maybe Bill didn''t wanna trust him with the ship, just yet. What if he left? Had he noticed Bill''s look? And did he care if he had? Maybe he understood their hesitation.


    ''We''re landing,'' Bill announced, followed by the sudden increase in gravity and roaring of the engines.


    ''Woah!'' Olivia buckled and almost fell, if not for Rebecca''s helping hand.


    Rebecca laughed, and pulled her back upright. ''Yeah, it takes some getting used to.''


    Olivia smiled briefly, but still had a worried crease over her eyes. ''Should we put the helmets on?''


    ''Yeah,'' James said and grabbed his own. ''Be cautious out there, and stay close to us. If in doubt, run. Use the scanner often, and warn us of dangers. If we work well together we can do this without mishaps.''


    ''Alright. I hope you are correct,'' Olivia said. ''But you guys freaked me out quite a bit there.'' She gave a nervous laugh.


    James smiled, trying to look more relaxed than he was. ''Sorry.''


    ''James and Bill are the rocks of this team,'' Rebecca said then, unexpectedly. ''They''ll do anything they can to help us out and keep everyone safe. Trust them.''


    ''Thanks... I don''t...'' James faltered.


    ''Don''t thank me. You know it''s true,'' she said, and smiled. ''And no, it wasn''t your fault.''


    She knew. Or maybe she also blamed herself? James nodded, and fastened his helmet, not trusting his voice to reply.


    ''Let''s go, team,'' Rich said and pressed the green button.


    Fog.


    The thickest grey soup James had ever seen pressed against his visor as he walked from one tree to the next, unable to see more than a few centimetres ahead. It was like he was back in that steamy tunnel with the centipede again. Only outdoors. Strange noises and calls were all around them, but they couldn''t see anything.


    In his right hand, he held Rebecca''s hand. And she in turn, held on to Olivia, who held on to Rich. In his left, James grasped the scanner, repeatedly pressing the button, hoping it''d warn him if they were about to step right into a monster. The only thing it did was show a small green dot on the screen. Entrance, it said above it.


    Well, at least it had one more function beyond telling them the worth of scraps and scanning monsters. That was good to know. He walked carefully in the direction of the dot. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The ground vanished under his foot, and just empty, fog-filled space greeted him.


    With a gasp, he pulled back on Rebecca who yelped, then yanked him back to solid ground.


    ''Holy mother...'' James huffed.


    ''What happened?'' she asked.


    ''I think I found some chasm. Or something.'' He hesitated and listened for water down below. Nothing. ''Yeah, a deep gorge. We have to go around it.''


    ''Great... more walking. Any clue how far it is?''


    ''None.'' He picked left, and followed the edge as close as he dared to not lose sight of it, but he didn''t wanna fall down. Who knew how deep it was.


    It didn''t take long before James spotted something by the ravine''s edge. Something grey and square. A sturdy concrete bridge with waist high sides. He paused and scanned. The entrance was right on the other side. Something went well for once, great.


    ''I found a bridge, guys. And I think the entrance is right there.''


    ''Awesome! I can''t get out of this fog fast enough,'' Rebecca said, and the other two made agreeing comments further back he couldn''t quite hear.


    The doors creaked open and the group entered the hallway. The lights were on, and a large fan in the ceiling spun slowly. Two doors were open, and a third was bricked up.


    ''What happened there, I wonder,'' Olivia commented and looked around.


    James scanned, then picked up the comms. ''Bill?''


    ''Yeah, it''s clear. I see nothing where you are now,'' his voice replied through mild static.


    ''Thanks. Over.''


    ''Let''s go in two teams?'' James suggested. ''Olivia, you go with Rebecca, and Rich, you come with me. Sound good?'' In the case something happened, he didn''t want Rich with any of the women. He''d be too strong for them to handle. Probably.


    ''Yeah, no objections. Be careful,'' Rebecca said.


    ''Take care of her, and don''t take any risks.''


    ''You know me,'' she said and with a slightly stiff smile, led Olivia into the right corridor.


    Lords of the Seven Seas, keep them safe, James thought to himself.


    ''You don''t trust me,'' Rich said then. ''But it''s okay. I get it. You don''t need to worry though. I wanna live too.''


    James nodded. ''Let''s go and get some stuff.''


    The new place had been looted before, it seemed, and they didn''t find anything at first. Just dust, open doors, and emptied rooms. But they found some stairs eventually, and went down.


    ''Look, the apparatus,'' Rich said as he peered in through a small window in a locked door. ''If we can find a key, it''s worth a lot.''


    ''Great. Let''s try and remember where this door is,'' James agreed. They rounded a corner and came face to face with two loot bugs. The little critters raised their front legs and chattered.


    ''Ooooh shii...'' James backed off. They weren''t too bad, but they could still do a good number on you. ''You stay away from me, you buggers.''


    ''We don''t have anything,'' Rich said to the bugs. ''See!'' He held out empty hands towards them.


    ''What are you doing? Let''s go.''


    Rich smiled. ''They just want loot, so I showed them we don''t have any.''


    Was he mental? ''Well, they''ll also attack you and tear your face off, so let''s go.''


    ''Naah, they''re pretty chill.'' He waltzed off like nothing had happened.


    ''You''re...'' Insane? Mentally handicapped? A walking hazard? ''¡­ crazy,'' James muttered.


    Rich chuckled.


    ''The comms hissed then. ''Something behind you,'' Bill said. ''Probably loot bugs or something else that''s small.''


    ''Yeah, we know. Already said hello to them,'' James answered. ''Would have been good to know earlier. Over.''


    ''I was watching the women. They were followed,'' Bill explained.


    ''Alright. Thanks. Over.'' He hoped it wasn''t something too serious. Like that shadowman again. He shuddered.


    After a relatively uneventful run, they returned to the entrance to find an engine, some pans and toys, and a large brass container standing by the doors.


    ''Wow, they''ve been effective!'' James said.


    ''Good,'' Rich agreed. ''Let''s bring these back to the shuttle, and then come back later?''


    ''Yeah. I guess.'' James wasn''t sure he wanted to leave. But maybe they had to. He pressed the comms. ''Bill? We''re returning to the ship with some of the loot unless you think we should go help them? Are they okay? Over.''


    ''They''re fine, and doing way better than you guys,'' Bill said with a short laugh. ''Get back here, but watch out. I saw something move a while ago. Possibly dogs or the hawks.''


    James grabbed some smaller things and the metal container and grunted at the weight. It must have taken Rebecca and Olivia both to carry it.


    Rich grabbed the rest, and hefted the engine onto his shoulder. James was impressed. At least he was good at carrying things, not only talking to the bugs.


    The fog outside was just as bad as earlier. The way back to the ship took forever, and they had to backtrack as they found themselves having gone too far into the forest, passing it by entirely.


    ''Just our luck,'' James grumbled. ''Is it always this foggy here?''


    ''No, have never seen it like this before,'' Rich said. ''It rains sometimes, like a lot. But this is not normal. At least not where I''ve been before.''


    ''That''s something.''


    A noise. Creaking wood. A heavy thump.


    James froze and set the container down, his entire body tensed. Rich had stopped also. Their eyes met for a second. They stood still, looking around and listening for anything approaching. Chirps, rattling leaves, wind. Nothing heavy moving. Allowing himself to breathe, James decided it was safe to move again.


    ''Let''s go. I see the light from the ship over there.'' He pointed at a small pinprick of light somewhere ahead. At least he hoped it was the ship. But Bill had said they were on the right track.


    ''Should be,'' Rich agreed. ''Let''s hurry up, I don''t like being in the forest.''


    ''Agreed.''


    They walked as fast as they could in the white soup, and soon the ship loomed above them, a light shining on the roof, guiding them home.


    ''Finally! It''s almost impossible to see anything out there,'' James said as he entered and put the loot down. The ship was empty. What the? James spun around, and Rich looked just as confounded.


    ''Bill?'' Had something happened?


    ''On the roof.'' Bill''s voice sounded distant and low.


    ''The roof?'' James went out to the walkway of the ship and looked up. A shadow sat crouched beside the antenna. ''What are you doing up there?''


    ''Baboon-hawks,'' Bill grumbled. ''The girls have the shovels, remember?''


    ''You could just close the doors?'' James suggested.


    ''Sure,'' Bill said. It didn''t sound like he meant it. He climbed down a ladder on the side James hadn''t seen before.


    ''Well, we brought the stuff back. Should we go back? There''s still some time left.'' James didn''t feel comfortable leaving Rebecca and Olivia alone over there.


    ''I think it''s best you stay here,'' Bill said. ''There''s three baboon-hawks in the area, and this weather makes traversing too slow.''


    Reluctantly, James nodded. They''d be ready to rush out and save the girls if they had to. He leaned the shotgun against the rail, and waited. Listening with a half ear to Bill as he spoke on the walkie, warning their friends.


    ''Hurry, hurry!''


    ''I''m coming.''


    Footsteps, weird calls, and the cracking of breaking branches came from the foggy darkness outside the ship. James strained his eyes to see, but there was nothing but darkness and fog. He''d heard them though.


    ''Here!'' he yelled, hoping to guide them back to the ship. ''This way!''


    ''Go, go, go!'' Rebecca''s voice.


    Another caw from the hawks and a shrill scream.


    ''Hurry! This way!'' James called again, and snatched the rifle up. He had to go help them. He jumped down from the walkway, and grunted as his feet stung with the impact.


    ''Wait!'' Rich called behind him.


    Ignoring it, he ran towards the noises. No time to think.


    The fog had lifted a little, but instead the sun had set and sent the forest into a spooky darkness. The trees stood like dark shadows, blocking his way everywhere. He followed the noises.


    ''No, leave it!'' Rebecca shouted.


    ''It took it!'' Olivia yelled.


    Good, they were both sill alive. He hurried his steps.


    A big shadow detached from some trees on his left. A large beak opened, smacked his helmet. A shrill caw echoed through the dark.


    How''d it gotten so close? James thought, and fumbled with the shotgun as he dove to the right.

 14 - Theres Two!

    The baboon-hawks were big. Much bigger than he''d thought. But not quite as big or forward as the damned dogs. The hawk cawed and circled him, jumped towards him whenever he looked away.


    ''Go away!'' James shouted, and stepped towards it, the rifle aimed at it.


    The hawk jumped back, its small wings fluttering, the big head and beak snapping and turning. They seemed more careful than the dogs as well, James thought. He didn''t want to waste the ammunition unless he had to. They only had four shots, after all.


    ''James?'' Rebecca called from somewhere close.


    ''Here!'' He didn''t dare look away from the beast.


    ''Watch out for the monsters, they''re everywhere.''


    ''I''ve noticed,'' he called back. ''I''ve got one right here.''


    ''Watch out for the other two!'' Olivia''s rounder, deeper voice added. ''They were here just a moment ago.''


    Did they hunt in packs, like the wolves of Earth? James didn''t like it.


    Rebecca and another baboon-hawk came out of the fog almost simultaneously. The monster rushed towards James from the other side of its friend. He spun around.


    ''No!''


    The bang of the shotgun had Rebecca dive to the ground, covering her head, and the hawk in front of him fell screeching to the ground.


    ''I got it!''


    The words were barely out of his mouth when something smacked James hard in the back, and he fell forward. He rolled and got up into a crouch. A third and fourth hawk had joined them, cawing and screeching excitedly. Fuck.


    The creature charged him again, and James dove to the side. Rebecca and Olivia ran at it, both with their shovels raised.


    ''Back off, you beast!'' Olivia barked and swung her shovel at it. It bounced back, flapping it''s wings.


    Rebecca''s shovel connected with a loud thunk, and the baboon-hawk scrambled back from them. James used their attack to get back up and ready the rifle again. As one of the monsters tried to attack Olivia from behind, James fired at it. It slumped down without a sound. Olivia yelped and looked back at him. But seeing the creature, she immediately went back to flailing the shovel at the remaining two hawks.


    It seemed something happened then, as the monsters suddenly turned tail and fled. Their loud caws echoing around in the darkness.


    Panting and sweating, the group looked around, waiting for another attack. But after a few seconds, it was clear they shouldn''t waste any more time.


    ''Get the loot,'' James ordered, and followed Rebecca and Olivia back a few metres to grab the things they had dropped.


    Then they ran back to the ship.


    As soon as they were all inside, Rich closed the doors and Bill pulled the lever. The shuttle roared.


    ''Wow, that was intense,'' Olivia said as they had caught their breaths. ''I''ve never seen anything like that. What were they?''


    ''Baboon-hawks,'' Bill said.


    ''They tried to take our stuff!'' Olivia said, and huffed. ''I didn''t work my ass off just to get those things stolen by... those things. They can back all the way off!''


    ''I didn''t expect you to be so aggressive,'' Rebecca laughed weakly. She looked absolutely destroyed. Her hair hung in dishevelled tufts, her pale face shone with sweat, and her eyes were wide. Still, it seemed that Olivia had boosted her confidence a lot, James thought.


    ''I have to admit, I''m impressed as well. After you screamed like that at the Company, I didn''t think you''d make it.'' He chuckled. His entire body was on fire. The adrenaline rush still hadn''t left his system, and he felt clear-headed, alert and oddly happy.


    Olivia beamed. ''Thank you. I was surprised as well. I didn''t know I''d be so good at shovel-duty.'' She soured and looked at her hands. ''But this is gonna hurt in the morning.'' She held out a hand for the others to see. Red bruises and cuts everywhere.


    ''We''ve got some first aid stuff in that box over there,'' James said.


    ''Here?'' Rich asked, and opened it.


    They all inspected and patched themselves up, then they relaxed with some canned food.


    ''Hey, we did well everyone,'' Rich said.


    ''Yeah,'' James agreed. ''It was a close call there, but that''s only to be expected.''


    ''Totally getting used to it. I''m like an expert now,'' Rebecca said.


    ''No, you''re not,'' Bill snorted. ''But you''re holding up.''


    ''No need to be mean,'' James pointed out. ''I thought they did great.


    ''And you finally got to use the gun,'' Rebecca laughed then.


    James grinned. He had indeed wanted to use it.


    ''We didn''t finish our section, by the way,'' Rebecca said. ''There were many rooms filled with scrap. We should all go to the same place tomorrow. Get all that stuff.''


    James and Bill nodded.


    ''Who''s on ship duty tomorrow then?'' Rich asked.


    ''Who''s the most tired who knows how to use the computer?'' Bill asked.


    ''I think we all can do it, except Olivia,'' Rebecca pointed out.


    Rich and James nodded.


    ''But I''m fine, so someone else should do it,'' Rich said, somewhat defensively, James thought.


    ''If you can''t decide, I''ll stay on the ship,'' Bill said.


    ''Alright. Do that, the rest of us will go together,'' Rebecca agreed. ''Then it''s my turn.''


    They agreed. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    The discussion flowed over to less important things, like what they''d worked with before the Company, what flavours of ice cream they enjoyed, and the fact that Rich seemed to find the loot bugs harmless and cute.


    That night James had his first good sleep since he''d started working for the Company. A night free of nightmares.


    The next morning they exited the ship to the ooh''s and aah''s of everyone. The sun rose above red cliffs, the trees stood tall and green, and the lush underbrush gave it all a lively touch. Animals chirped and called from the green canopy.


    ''It''s so pretty,'' Rebecca said.


    ''Refreshing,'' James agreed. ''But let''s focus and get going.''


    ''Nice weather for a walk in the woods.'' Olivia smiled.


    She didn''t appear to be too traumatized from the first day, James thought. Good. They needed people who were good at adapting. ''Just keep your ears and eyes peeled.''


    ''Yessir.'' Rich gave a mock salute in passing.


    James smirked. He wondered how long this mood would last. Probably until their first meeting with something, he guessed.


    As they came to the ravine, he noticed there were two bridges. The sturdy one they''d used the previous day, and another rickety looking thing to the right. Why''d anyone in their right mind use that, he wondered. Especially since it looked like it was possible to walk around the ravine just a short distance up from the bridge.


    ''Look, there''s a fire escape down there.'' Rebecca pointed at a red door below the sturdy bridge.


    ''We can have a look there later,'' Rich suggested.


    ''Yeah, but let''s stick together and go there when we''re done up here,'' James said.


    ''This is a dam,'' Olivia leaned out over the far side of the concrete bridge.


    ''Really?'' James walked up to the bridge and looked over the side. Deep water lapped at the side, making it obvious the ravine on the other side was actually part of a natural river or lake. He wondered why it was placed like that though. Since the water didn''t get through, it wasn''t used for energy. Maybe it was about structural stability? He shrugged. They had other things to do.


    As soon as James entered the facility, something came out of the right-hand doorway. He sucked in air, then relaxed as he recognized the large, grey insect.


    ''Shoo. You scared the crap out of me,'' he muttered. The thing looked at him for a second, then vanished back down the corridor again. This place seemed to be crawling with them.


    ''Alright, lead the way,'' he said and looked at Rebecca.


    She nodded and stepped confidently into the right corridor. After just a short distance, they came out into an open place and the concrete gave way to a mesh walkway. In the large room, their footfalls echoed. James looked over the yellow handrails, shining his flashlight down. A deep fall. Machines of some kind stood silent below, a red light glowed somewhere in a far corner. Maybe a door? Other walkways stretched across the room. There were five doors in total. They came back to a normal corridor, and went through a storage area and down a wide stair.


    ''Here,'' Rebecca said then. ''We haven''t finished exploring here.''


    ''Alright, keep on your toes,'' James said and pulled out the scanner.


    ''There''s at least three creatures nearby,'' Bill''s voice came from the comms then.


    That didn''t sound promising. Everyone had paused, looking at the walkie-talkie in James'' hand.


    ''What are they? Over,'' James asked, his stomach tensing.


    ''Not sure, but they appear fast and small. Possibly bugs.''


    ''Loot bugs? We can deal with those. Over,'' James said, feeling a lot safer again. Nothing to worry about, just the little buggers.


    ''You just have to offer them some loot, and they''ll take off with it,'' Rich said and smiled, as if he recalled some funny memory.


    ''Yeah, but we need the loot,'' James said, trying to keep the annoyance from his voice.


    ''Just a key, or a small thing is enough. Don''t give the big things away. That''d be silly.''


    Yeah, you do seem a little silly, James thought, but kept it to himself. ''Keep looking. And be careful. Stay at a safe distance.''


    ''What''s a safe distance,'' Olivia asked, her eyes wide.


    ''Uh... a few meters.'' James didn''t actually know, but they didn''t seem to be too easily aggravated, unless they had loot.


    They walked about, picking anything worthwhile, and quickly passed through several rooms and corridors. Bill often checked in and gave them directions to loot and warned of the bugs. But then, he contacted them again.


    ''There''s something else in there with you. It just appeared on the scanner. Not sure what it is, but it''s bigger and very fast.''


    ''Alright, we''ll be careful. Over,'' James replied.


    ''And there''s something from the direction you came from as well. But it''s sitting still. Possibly a centipede.''


    ''Great. Over.'' This place was clearly crawling with creatures. Not good at all. They''d better be quick. He peeked out through the door, and swept his eyes up and down the corridor before checking a door on the other side. It opened easily, and he found a large area with big machines.


    ''Oh?'' He looked up. The walkways above must have been where they''d been earlier.


    ''What are you looking at?'' Olivia had followed him.


    ''Just the walkways.'' He pointed. ''This room looks promising. Have you tried the scanner yet?''


    She blinked, then she pulled it up from her belt. ''This thing?''


    ''Yeah. Let me show you.''


    James showed her how to use it, and several items in the room lit up on the little screen.


    ''Oh! There''s one over there!'' She rushed over and picked up a red tray full of glass bottles. ''This is heavy. I think I''ll go back to the others with this.''


    ''Yeah, good idea. I''ll take the rest of the items, if I can, then I''ll join you.''


    She nodded and vanished out of the room.


    A loud crash and a shriek.


    James stiffened, adrenaline shocking his system into a standstill for a second. Then he rushed to the doorway and looked out, his shotgun ready. Olivia stood, like rooted to the ground, the tray with bottles on the floor. Some bottles had broken. He saw nothing else. And that made him almost sick with fear. He knew what behaved like that.


    ''Olivia, take the tray and go. Look behind you often. We have to leave. It''s too dangerous to stay here.''


    She didn''t respond.


    ''Olivia!'' He barked, and she visibly jumped.


    ''Yes, yes, sorry. Something... there was something¨C''


    ''Yes, I know. Leave. Now. Go, go, go!''


    She snapped out of it, yanked the tray back up and ran. Good. James glanced both ways, then hurried back into the room. No way he''d leave all these things. They had a quota to reach, after all. He ran around the room, snatching up cords, bolts, batteries, spools of wire, and a few more things. Then he carefully approached the door, shotgun ready. Peering out into the dark corridor, he saw nothing. He hastened across and into the opposite room. The others had left, probably because of the shadowman. He swallowed. His throat had gone dry in an instant. He hated that one.


    ''Just look around often,'' he whispered to himself, just to hear a voice.


    ''Hurry back, James,'' Bill said on the comms. ''The Bracken is after the others right now, but there''s something more coming your way. Could be another one. Go.''


    James didn''t need spurring. He ran, back through the corridors, through the emptied rooms, up the stairs, out onto the walkway.


    A dark figure crouched on the other side of the mesh, white eyes glowing in the darkness. James halted. The thing growled and backed out the door.


    Sweating, James stood rooted to the floor. What should he do? The thing was where he had to go. He remembered Bill''s words. There might be another one. He looked over his shoulder and met two white eyes, only centimetres away.


    With a strangled intake of air, James bolted forward, his feet banging loudly on the mesh.


    He whipped his head left and right as he rushed past the doorway, and heard another deep growl. He didn''t see it this time though. But there were TWO of them. One mistake and he''d never see the light of day again. He glanced back, and a shadow retreated.


    ''Fuuu...'' James breathed as he dashed towards the entrance.


    A loud growl ahead again. The first one stood by the doors out, leaning forward as if ready to rush him. James skidded to a stop.


    The thing stepped towards him.


    James raised the shotgun.


    The door opened.

 15 - It Stings

    ''No, get back!'' James yelled at the top of his lungs. He couldn''t fire if someone entered.


    The bracken twisted around, looking away.


    A scream rang through the entrance, echoing loudly. James saw his chance and threw himself forward at the cracked open door. He dove under the long arms of the creature, felt it scratch his back. He landed hard on his belly, twisted around and kicked the door shut. The boom of a metal door closing had never sounded so good in his entire life.


    ''Are you okay?'' Rebecca shouted, grabbing at his arm and pulling at him.


    He stumbled back up, still eyeing the door. ''Yeah, I think so. Maybe.''


    ''Let''s go.''


    He backed off from the door, panting heavily. The he finally looked at Rebecca, gave a sharp nod in thanks, and ran towards the bridge. He didn''t wanna risk it, and took the closest one. The rickety bridge shuddered and swayed as their heavy footfalls hit the metal plates and woodwork. But it held, and they reached the treeline on the other side.


    Once under the shadows of the trees, James and Rebecca stopped for a moment to catch their breaths. He looked back at the large facility on the other side of the ravine.


    ''Well, I''m not going back in there.''


    ''I saw the eyes... was it the... uh... bramble...''


    ''Bracken. Yes.'' He shuddered. They were freaky as all hell. Just sneaking behind you. What''d they do if they got to you? Probably kill you, but still. Some things are worse than simply dying.


    He took in the forest around him. Hilly, some shrubs, some large rocks jutting out of the ground, manticoils fluttering among the branches, the odd call and tweet here and there, the sunlight strafing down through the canopy. Actually, a pretty quaint place, when he thought about it. Not bad at all. He drew in a deep steadying breath, even though he only had the stuffy air in the suit. No fresh outdoors air. Could they breathe here?


    ''Should we go?'' Rebecca smiled at him when he snapped out of it.


    ''Yeah, sorry. I was admiring the view.''


    ''It''s nice,'' she hesitated, ''but a little too full of monsters for my liking.''


    ''No shit! I hadn''t noticed.''


    She blinked in surprise, then laughed. ''For a second I thought you were serious,'' she giggled.


    He smirked and set off towards the ship.


    As they had walked down another hill, shouts reached them from ahead.


    ''Ow, ow, ow! Get away from me!''


    James looked at Rebecca. ''Is that Rich?''


    ''I think so.''


    A primal scream followed by more expressions of minor pain echoed through the trees.


    ''Hurry, he might need help.'' James set off running, but not at full speed. He''d learned that it might be a bad idea to draw too much attention. But if Rich needed help, they had to speed up.


    As he got up the next hill and could see ahead, he stopped in confusion for a moment. Rich ran about, flailing his arms, as Bill and Olivia stood on the ship''s walkway, by all appearances, cheering him on.


    ''What the...?''


    Something flashed sharp blue-white around Rich, and he yelled again, running around the ship and disappearing from view.


    ''What''s going on?'' James called out as Rebecca climbed up the hill beside him.


    ''You''re safe!'' Olivia waved at them.


    ''Rich is playing with the bees,'' Bill shouted back. ''Stay clear.''


    ''Bees?'' James followed Rich as he loped out from behind the ship again. Something small, like a cloud, followed him. Tiny lightning-bolts appeared to zap him from time to time, drawing more shouts. ''Electric bees?''


    Rebecca watched in silence for a while, then she drew out the scanner and sneaked closer, a determined look in her eyes.


    ''Rebecca, what are you doing?''


    ''Sshh.''


    She approached the bees, and held out the scanner. The cloud of bees made a sharp U-turn, going straight for her. With a loud shriek she bolted, straight towards James.


    ''Don''t come here!'' he yelped, and dashed away from her. The buzzing and crackling from the bees as they shot past him had every hair on his body stand on end.


    ''Help!'' Rebecca yelled.


    The others laughed, but Rich laughed the loudest.


    ''Thank you!'' He waved at her, and climbed up the ladder to the walkway, joining the other two.


    James stood a way off, thinking that she was definitely gaining headway. She was a fast runner after all. She ran a few laps around the trees, and then she slowed down to a walk. Had she shaken them?


    ''Do I dare approach?'' James shouted.


    ''Yeah. They... stopped... following...'' She stooped forward and rested her hands on her knees, heaving visibly.


    James couldn''t keep a grin from invading his face. The laughter from the other three was infectious as well, and it had looked quite amusing. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Once back on the ship, Rich explained he''d spotted a beehive just a few meters away. ''They''re really valuable, but they''re a little hard to get. The bees are electrical, and really sting. If you get stung too much, you risk being immobilized. Hurts like hell.'' He pulled off the suit to be able to show his arm. Several red and purple bruises marked his skin.


    ''We said he shouldn''t do it,'' Olivia explained. ''That''s why we laughed when he did it anyway.''


    ''Stupidity should hurt,'' Bill said. But he didn''t sound nearly as angry as James had expected. Rather, he looked mildly amused.


    ''Well, I''m staying clear of those in the future,'' James said.


    ''They were not fun!'' Rebecca added.


    ''At least you didn''t get to play with them for as long as I did,'' Rich grunted and pulled the suit back on.


    They all chuckled.


    ''It was your own choice,'' Bill commented. ''We warned you.''


    ''It was worth it though, wasn''t it,'' he grinned. ''Scan it.''


    Curious, James did. He checked the scanner twice. ''That''s really good, actually,'' he agreed. ''Maybe it''s worth some pain to get them, after all. But perhaps we should have a better plan than simply picking the hive up and running away with it next time?''


    The others nodded.


    ''There''s still time. Should we check out the fire exit?'' James asked, ruining the good mood.


    ''Do we have to?'' Rebecca asked.


    ''Not if you don''t want to.'' He looked at the others. ''Anyone?''


    ''You should,'' Bill agreed. ''But don''t waste any time. There''s only a few hours left.''


    ''Alright. Who''s coming?'' James asked.


    All but Bill decided to go, and they set out. But they''d only gone a few hundred meters when something made an odd noise. Something between a groan and a creak.


    ''What was that?'' James asked.


    ''I don''t see anything,'' Olivia said, slowly spinning around.


    Rich pulled out the scanner. ''I don''t see anything.''


    ''Alright. Probably nothing then,'' James huffed. Every new sound set off their nerves, everything that moved scared the crap out of them. ''Let''s hustle.''


    The group made it to the fire exit, went in and explored shortly. But the chittering of loot bugs and growl of another bracken had them retreat in haste. They climbed back out of the ravine and entered the forest as the sun''s last warm rays cast long shadows.


    ''Well, that was worthless,'' Rich pointed out.


    ''Yeah, but we didn''t know that,'' James said. ''It was still worth a try. The quota is higher than the last time. And I''d like a little extra money so we can buy better gear. Don''t you?''


    ''Sure. I never said we shouldn''t.'' Rich looked at him, a little too long.


    James averted his eyes. He was being unfair. ''Sorry, didn''t mean to snap. It''s been a a long day.''


    Rich smiled. ''Don''t sweat it.''


    They passed by a grove of large trees, standing close together. The comms hissed, and Bill''s voice called out a warning. Something moved, and James twisted his head to look at it.


    Nothing. Odd. ''Wha¨C ?''


    Olivia screamed, ear splitting. James froze.


    ''What?''


    ''Run!'' Rich hollered.


    He spotted it then. The tree. The largest tree in the grove. It moved. The fat trunk spun with surprising speed, revealing its face. A large mouth hole and two enormous eyes sat in the middle of the trunk. It stared at them for a moment, without moving. Two branch-like, long arms reached out towards them.


    ''Seven Seas,'' James breathed. He backed off, and stumbled over a small rock. The thing was huge.


    ''Jaaaames!'' Rebecca yelled.


    He fled.


    They ran through the forest, up and down the hills, round rocks and tree trunks. The ground shook with the heavy footfalls of the monster. They tried to shake it off by going around a red stone cliff that jutted out of the ground in one place. But as they rounded it, the monster waited for them.


    ''It went around!'' James shouted. ''Get back!''


    They ran back where they''d come from, taking them further away from the ship.


    ''We have to get back, guys,'' Rebecca panted. ''We''re going the wrong way!''


    ''Don''t stop!'' James barked without looking back. The thumps of the thing''s footfalls were enough to know it was too close.


    ''We need to hide,'' Rich yelled. ''Maybe it''ll give up if it can''t find us.''


    ''Maybe!'' James yelled, not believing it.


    The ground shook, and Rebecca screamed. James glanced back and stopped in his tracks.


    The giant tree had smashed its branch-hand to the ground, close enough to Rebecca to topple her with the impact.


    He hesitated for a second, then ran towards her.


    She got up on her feet.


    James strained towards her, reached out a hand.


    Too slow.


    Rebecca took a step towards him, then she was encased in long twig-like fingers, and snatched up from the ground.


    It happened so fast.


    James roared, pulled out the shotgun.


    The giant raised her to the large hole in the trunk, its mouth presumably.


    James pulled the trigger.


    A loud crack, flashing light. Splinters of wood rained over him. The giant rumbled. The noise so loud and deep, he felt it through his entire body. But it didn''t stop!


    He fired again.


    Rebecca screamed, and silenced.


    James stared at it. Couldn''t believe it had happened.


    She was gone. Swallowed whole.


    The thing looked at him. He stared back.


    Time stilled.


    Pain, greater than what fit inside his being, beat him to his knees. He couldn''t even scream. Couldn''t breathe. Had that really happened?


    Someone grabbed him from behind and yanked him back just as the giant''s hand tried to snatch him too.


    ''Go, go, go!'' someone shouted.


    A push in the back. Someone grabbed his arm and pulled. James stumbled forward, numb and cold.


    ''Not that way!''


    They ran, dodged back and forth, stopped, ran again. James wasn''t aware of where they went, only that he had to keep moving. He couldn''t look up from the trembling ground rushing past. But somehow, after an eternity, someone placed his hand on a metal rung.


    ''Climb, you fool!''


    Pushed in the back again.


    ''Reach!'' A hand in front of his face. He took it, on auto-pilot. Climbed up.


    ''Run! Get in!''


    He forced his heavy legs to move. Just a little more. Everything would be over soon. It was just a terrible dream. He''d wake up soon. He''d wake up.


    ''Close the door!''


    The hands that had kept him up let go, and he pitched forward. His entire body protested, his stomach hurt, his throat burned. He pulled at his helmet, got it off.


    Heaved like a fish on land, retched, and emptied his guts on the floor.


    He couldn''t breathe, his throat burned, his eyes stung.


    Rebecca. Gone.

 16 - Not Going Back

    They sat in silence. James didn''t want to eat, or speak. His heart bled. He hadn''t realized how attached he''d gotten to her.


    ''Who am I kidding,'' he muttered under his breath. He''d liked her. But now she too was gone. He saw it play out before his eyes, time and again.


    Olivia sat on the bunk bed, her arms clasped around her legs, head resting on her knees. She rocked back and forth, sobbing. Probably in shock. At least she hadn''t known her.


    ''I''m not going back there,'' James said a little louder then.


    ''We have to,'' Bill said, voice neutral, calm.


    ''No.'' James stood, went to the computer. Started pressing the keys, finding out were else they could go, trying to keep his thoughts occupied. ''I can''t go there. There''s too many things. Too many... too...''


    ''Fine. Can we go to March?'' Bill asked.


    James checked. ''Yes. I think so.''


    ''Weather?''


    ''Uh... rainy. Does it matter?''


    ''Everything matters.''


    ''Right.''


    ''If we are fast. Can we do it?''


    Vaguely, James noted that Bill had asked if ¡°we¡± could do it. He usually didn''t include himself. But he considered the question. Looked at Olivia and Rich. Rich sat on the floor, eating from a can. He thought Rich could handle it. Olivia? No clue. Himself? Not really. But he''d try.


    ''Sure,'' he answered.


    Bill''s mouth thinned, but he nodded. ''Then route the ship fast, we''re losing time.''


    ''We can make it,'' Rich said. ''We did well yesterday. We don''t need to get that much.''


    ''Guys,'' Olivia snuffled. ''Guys. How can you? You''re thinking about work. She died, you know.'' Her eyes were wide and red-shot.


    ''Yeah, happens all the time,'' Bill said mercilessly. ''Either we deal with it, or share the same fate.''


    ''Sorry,'' James added, ''but it''s true. The Company are assholes and they''re treating us like trash. We either work, or die. Or we don''t work and die anyway. Sorry you had to find out so soon.''


    She stared at them for a while, glanced at Rich who nodded solemnly, then back at them again. ''I see.'' She swallowed, chewed her lower lip for a moment. ''Alright. Well, this sucks.''


    They all nodded.


    ''I can do it.''


    ''How long''s your contract?'' James asked.


    ''Eight months.''


    ''Great. Four months shorter than me. Let''s see if we make it, then.''


    ''Yeah,'' she said weakly, her hands fluttering around like she didn''t know what to do with them.


    An odd determination set in James'' body then. ''Let''s survive. Let''s show those Company assholes what we''re made of. Let''s prove them wrong, and let''s get out.''


    They looked at him in surprise, mouths open. Then some of that determination settled in their eyes as well.


    ''Yeah, let''s.'' Even Bill looked determined as he spoke.


    James pulled the lever, and the ship changed course. Going to March. He hoped it''d be slightly better than this Vow moon. They''d be effective, find loot, survive, and go to the Company. He would show them. He had to find out who they were. And then, somehow, avenge Rebecca.


    ''What''s March like?'' Olivia asked as he looked away from the screen.


    He shrugged, having never been there and looked at Bill.


    ''It''s very similar to Vow,'' the man rasped, ''but with fewer walking trees and brackens. More baboon-hawks and thumpers.'' He gave James a hard look.


    ''Thumpers?''


    ''The monstrosity that chased you and I hit with a shovel. Rebecca scanned it.''


    James recalled the creature; a weird-faced, pink, long-armed monster. Super fast. ¡°This is the first time I''ve seen one and nobody''s been eaten,¡± Bill had said with a defeated expression afterwards. A cold trickle went down James'' spine, like cold fingers. Had he made a mistake? Well, too late to change it.


    ''Let''s all bring shovels. I''m out of shotgun shells.''


    ''Shouldn''t have shot the giant,'' Rich said.


    ''No shit,'' James growled, not in the mood to be reminded of his failure.


    Rich raised his hands. ''No offence. Just, they''re really big and hard to kill.''


    Hard to kill? Did that mean? ''Wait... they can be killed?''


    Rich nodded, then resumed eating. ''Almost impossible though. My first crew managed, but only I was alive at the end of that fight. Barely.''


    James watched him for any hint of a smile, or twitch, or anything that''d reveal it to be a lie. But he only saw sincerity.


    ''Wow.'' He didn''t know what to say beyond that.


    ''What''s the average lifespan of a Company worker,'' Olivia asked, her eyes wide.


    ''No idea. Three days?'' James half-jested. But he wouldn''t be surprised if it was less. Most people probably died on their first or second day.


    ''I think you''re optimistic, still,'' Bill said.


    He nodded. ''Tell us all you know about March, so we can be as prepared as possible,'' James demanded.


    Bill nodded, grabbed a food can and sat down beside Rich. Then he started talking.


    As the doors opened on the new planet, James anxiously looked out at the hilly, forested landscape. Rain pattered lightly, the thick clouds hung low, dark and foreboding. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ''Where''s the facility?'' James asked.


    ''Behind us. I checked the map,'' Bill answered. ''There''s a hill beside the shuttle, a rocket with more shovels will land soon.''


    ''Alright. Let''s go?''


    They jumped down from the walkway, rounded the ship and walked towards the hill.


    ''Look!'' Olivia pointed.


    Looking from the back of the shuttle, James spotted two lights shining from just a few hundred meters off. The rainy, slightly foggy air made it hard to judge the distance, but that couldn''t be too hard to reach. They''d never landed this close to a facility before.


    ''Nice.'' He hoped it was gonna be an easy run.


    ''I know right,'' Olivia gave a weak smile. ''We can do this.''


    ''Yeah. Let''s get it over with fast.''


    Rich called from the hilltop, ''It''s almost here.''


    James looked up at the approaching rocket. Shovels. It was ridiculous. They should all have proper weapons. But he supposed the Company didn''t wanna waste money on that as most would be lost within a few days anyway.


    He frowned.


    Don''t sympathise with them.


    They grabbed the shovels and a flash-bang. Bill had spent most of their money, he supposed. That was fine. He''d rather live than have money.


    They set off towards the building, scanning left and right all the time to spot any creatures. But it was oddly quiet, aside from rain pattering his visor and a distant rumble of thunder. Great.


    It took them no time to get to the facility through the light woods. They followed a large, deep sided lake on their left, and kept the entrance ahead in sight all the time. It stuck out from the surrounding hills like a bunker.


    Once inside, they decided to stay together as much as possible, picked the right hand corridor and started searching.


    It was annoying to carry the shovel around all the time, but he supposed it was worth it. But it meant both hands were occupied all the time. He pressed the scanner again and again.


    ''Something''s over there,'' Bill said and pointed with his flashlight to an open door on the left.


    ''I''ve got it,'' Rich said and loped over to it.


    Was he trying to prove his usefulness? He already had, hadn''t he? He and Olivia had saved his life. Without them, he''d simply have been eaten along with Rebecca. He had just stared at it. Done nothing.


    ''James? Snap out of it.''


    He blinked and focused on Bill. ''Yeah, yeah. Sorry.''


    ''Don''t think about it. Look for scrap.''


    ''Yeah.'' He pressed the scanner again, opened a metal door ahead and hesitated. Something red blinked in the dark. What was it? He swapped the scanner for the flashlight. A bleep came from the thing in the corridor. It moved, a long turret glinting in the light from James'' flashlight.


    ''Shit!'' He jumped back and slammed the door shut just as a thunderous bombardment of bullets hit it.


    Olivia yelped behind him. Both Rich and Bill froze and looked his way.


    ''You alright?'' Bill called.


    ''Yeah, I''m alive,'' James gasped. ''There''s a turret in there.''


    ''Maybe we should go somewhere else?'' Olivia suggested. ''We can try the other corridor?''


    ''Yeah. We should. I''m not insane enough to try dodging it,'' James said, thinking of Dakarai.


    The other corridor split into many tunnels, and stairs led both up and down. Soon, James wasn''t even sure where out was anymore. He hoped Bill or the others could backtrack.


    ''Do any of you know the way back out?'' he asked after a while, as the loss of direction bothered him more and more.


    ''Yeah, I think so,'' Olivia said.


    ''Probably,'' Bill muttered. ''There''s something over there.''


    James scanned and something red showed up to their right. What was it? He didn''t hear anything. The red dot didn''t move either.


    ''A face-hugger?'' he wondered aloud.


    ''Too big,'' Bill answered.


    ''Spider,'' Rich said and pointed to the ceiling. The remains of a large, dusty net hung in tatters. Further in, the compact dark and several pipes obstructed the view, casting disturbing shadows whenever they aimed their flashlights at it.


    ''Nope,'' James said and turned the other way. ''I''ve had enough of those.''


    Rich chuckled. ''Yeah, they''re nasty bastards. But we can take it on, if it attacks. Just avoid any nets.''


    James nodded, though Rich probably couldn''t see it.


    They moved further into the dark complex, picking up anything they found. They eventually found themselves in a dead end. The large room had several machines, and three other doors, but they were all locked and they hadn''t found any keys.


    ''Let''s go back and try another way,'' Olivia said. ''I don''t like it here anyway.''


    ''Yeah, almost no lights are working here,'' James agreed. They had to rely fully on their flashlights to see anything.


    ''Maybe someone''s turned off the lighting to save energy?'' Bill suggested.


    ''Then, we could turn it back on?''


    ''Possibly, if we can find the control panel for that.''


    That''d require a lot of luck, James supposed. Better not count on that happening. He backtracked, then took another route to avoid the corridor with the spider. The others followed, and he briefly wondered why he took the lead. He wasn''t the expert here. Bill, and he suspected Rich as well, had more experience than him. But maybe that''s why they stayed back. Bill had a habit of running away first, and staying in the middle if he could. It had kept him alive so far, James concluded. Maybe he should try that strategy himself.


    Something tugged at his foot, and he looked down. Spider webs across the entire floor.


    ''Oh forf...''


    ''What is it?'' Bill asked sharply behind him.


    ''Spider!'' Olivia screamed.


    The many-legged predicament came towards him, snapping mandibles and facet-eyes glinting. The light wavered as his hand shook. He pulled back, yanking his foot loose from the clingy webs.


    ''Get back!'' he shouted, and turned to flee, the fast patter of the spider''s many legs right behind him. He got a full ten steps before it snapped at his backpack, causing him to stumble.


    ''Get away you foul beast!'' Olivia hollerred and raised her shovel.


    James bounced back up, readying his own, barely registering that he''d dropped his flashlight. But Bill shined his towards the menace. The spider battered Olivia with its front legs, and her swing went wide, missing its head. James jumped in, bashing its large abdomen. The monster kicked him with another leg as it snapped at Olivia''s hands with its mandibles.


    She shrieked and jumped back as James groaned from the punch to his guts.


    Rich came as backup, hitting the spider several times with the shovel, before it jumped at him and latched onto his arm. He grunted.


    James took advantage of the situation and whacked the spider''s back again, as hard as he could. The shovel''s edge cut into the chitin, cracking it. It squealed and curled its legs for a moment. He hit it again. It squealed louder and tried to scramble away from him. Olivia and Rich raised their shovels as one, raining blows over the spider''s head and back. Soon, it stopped moving.


    Panting, James wondered why they hadn''t brought more shovels earlier. They had barely taken any damage. Or had they?


    ''You alright?''


    ''Yeah, I''m okay,'' Olivia huffed.


    ''I''ll live,'' Rich said, raising his left arm to inspect the damage.


    His orange suit had torn and blood stained the fabric and dripped to the floor.


    ''You should go back to the ship,'' Olivia said. ''Get that cleaned and bandaged.''


    Rich laughed. ''Hah, it''s more dangerous to do that alone. I''ll stay here until we go together.''


    ''Oh,'' Olivia looked stricken, ''I didn''t mean like that. We''ll go with you of course.''


    He waved it off. ''No, let''s keep going. We''ve probably got what we need. But the more we can find before we leave, the better.''


    ''You think so?'' James asked.


    ''Yeah,'' Bill answered and handed him his dropped flashlight. ''We''ve got enough. But having a bit extra might keep us alive longer. Let''s go. This racket-''


    ''Will draw some unwanted attention,'' James finished for him.


    Bill blinked, then smiled.


    James chuckled.

 17 - Storm

    ''How many legs do they have anyway? Ten?'' James muttered as they had escaped the second spider.


    ''More like twelve,'' Bill commented.


    ''That''s way more than they need.''


    Olivia laughed, then she quickly looked around as if to make sure nothing was creeping up on them.


    James tried to recall the way back, but it was impossible. Bill didn''t hesitate however, so James assumed he knew where they were going.


    Bill stopped with a curse. The way was blocked.


    ''Maybe should have gone left after all.''


    James glanced back. He had no clue.


    Olivia nodded. ''I thought about it earlier, but I wasn''t sure.''


    ''I thought you guys knew the way,'' James said, trying to keep accusation out of his voice. It wasn''t as if he was helping in this case.


    ''I know the general direction,'' Bill answered.


    ''Let''s hurry. I don''t wanna be lost in here. If we''re too late to the shuttle...''


    ''Yeah, no thank you,'' Rich agreed.


    Olivia and Rich took the lead as they backtracked and picked a new route. They must have also gone the wrong way as soon, they came to an unexplored area, full of scrap.


    ''Oh wow,'' Rich said and happily started picking things up.


    ''We hit the mother load,'' Bill said. ''Everyone, get as much as you can. This is great.''


    James agreed, this was great. Apart from the being lost bit. Picking various bits of scrap, and scanning for their worth, his skin suddenly prickled. Shivering, he looked around. A faint shuffle from a doorway.


    ''Guys. I think we''ve got company.''


    Everyone got on high alert in seconds, shovels raised and flashlights sweeping the room. Nothing.


    ''Fuck. What was it?'' Bill asked.


    ''Not sure. I didn''t see it,'' James admitted. But what would run away and hide when you looked towards it? Only one thing they''d met so far did that. Shit. ''I think we should leave.''


    ''Yes, we don''t wanna tangle with that one,'' Rich agreed.


    ''What was it?'' Olivia, lowered her shovel.


    ''The shadow man, possibly,'' James said, sweating in the suit. He hated them. Seven Seas, he hated all the monsters.


    They filed out of the room, and hurried down the corridor when something ahead moved. Olivia yelled. Then they stopped.


    ''It''s okay, buddy. It''s okay. Here, take this,'' Rich said and James immediately knew what it was.


    Drawing a deep breath of relief, he relaxed. Only a loot-bug.


    ''There you go. Now let us pass. Thank you, buddy.''


    They moved forward again, and as they passed an intersection, James spotted not one, but two loot-bugs watching them from the side.


    ''You stay over there,'' he muttered, grabbing the shovel hard. He''d been bitten and knew they could kill you if you weren''t careful. He wouldn''t go so far as to trust them. Though, relatively speaking, he supposed they were pretty nice. Maybe Rich had been around for so long he saw them as little cute pets compared to everything else. James snorted.


    Something ahead thumped and they all stopped, staying still and quiet in the dark. James'' breaths sounded loud in his ears, the helmet and visor suddenly oppressive. A few more thumps came from ahead, moving away from them.


    ''It''s leaving. Let''s go,'' Rich whispered.


    James and the rest followed. Walking quietly they suddenly spotted familiar places. A broken pipe here, a wet stain on the floor there, a flickering light, and opened doors.


    ''We''ve been through here!'' Olivia exclaimed. ''We''re going the right way.''


    ''Finally,'' James said and smiled.


    Then something came out ahead of them. A long, pink shape, like a large lizard.


    ''Thumper!'' James shouted.


    Olivia back-pedalled, Bill vanished around a corner, Rich and James stood frozen in the middle of the corridor, shovels ready.


    The creature moved towards them, and James swallowed. They were doomed. There was no place to get up from the floor here. They''d get... He paused his train of thought. Did the thumper look smaller? In the flickering light ahead, the creature moved forward, it''s odd round tail bumping the floor, it''s wide mouth oddly round. Was it a thumper?


    The creature spotted them, and halted with a pig-like grunt. It scuttled sideways, making several grunting noises.


    ''What the...?'' James asked aloud.


    ''Oh! I''ve seen those before,'' Rich said then, lowering his shovel.


    ''They''re safe?'' It was the only thing James cared to know. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ''I think so.''


    ''Bill?'' James asked.


    Bill and Olivia peeked out from the shadows, like some weird creeps.


    ''Oh,'' was all Bill said as he stepped out.


    ''Oh? That''s it? What IS that thing?'' James demanded. Then, since it appeared to be relatively harmless, he approached it. ''Shoo, go away!'' He made a half-hearted swing at it with his shovel.


    The creature, while being pretty big, didn''t seem interested in fighting. It backed off, grunting and growling. Then, the thing did something and James jumped back. The whole corridor filled with a pink, thick cloud.


    ''Oh shit!'' Rich dropped the shovel.


    ''What?'' James tensed, not sure what to do. He could barely see. The pink mist obscured his vision. An odd smell came in through the filters. He hoped it wasn''t dangerous.


    Backing off, he exited the cloud, and came to stand by Bill and Olivia. Rich stumbled out a moment later, coughing and hacking, holding his left forearm with his right. Was something wrong?


    ''You alright? Did it hurt you?'' Olivia asked, and hurried to his side.


    Rich coughed some more before replying, ''My suit.''


    ''What about it?'' Olivia checked on him, but James kept his eyes on the pink cloud behind them. In case the monster came back out of it. But he was beginning to suspect that it worked like an octopus'' ink. A defence mechanism to hide its escape. He hoped.


    ''My suit is ripped,'' Rich rasped between coughs.


    ''Oh shit, you''re right. You''re getting all the punishments today, eh?''


    ''Yeah.''


    James glanced back. The corridor behind them were still dark and empty. Good.


    ''Let''s wait for the cloud to dissipate, then we push onward,'' Bill said. ''The spores are harmful, but not deadly, I believe. We need to hurry.''


    ''Yeah,'' James agreed. ''I''m worried about the time.''


    ''Me too,'' he agreed.


    ''I''m worried about me,'' Rich grunted, irritation lacing his words.


    ''Me too,'' Bill agreed.'' That''s why we''re waiting.''


    Rich nodded, then had another coughing fit.


    Soon, they were moving again, hurrying towards the exit. James felt exhaustion weigh down over him, but he refused to let it show. He forced himself to walk at a brisk pace, keeping at the front with Bill and Olivia behind him. Rich followed in the back. James wouldn''t let this place get to him. He would get back to Gordion, and he''d make another try to escape the Company. Or find out more about them. He owed it to Rebecca. His breathing was heavy, and sweat ran down his face. He wished he could remove the helmet. But he didn''t dare to.


    ''To the left,'' Bill instructed him.


    James nodded. He recognized the place, so he didn''t really need Bill''s directions anymore to his great relief. But he didn''t mind being reassured.


    Soon, the doors out stood before them. They let out a collective cheer. James pushed the heavy door open and peeked out.


    Outside, rain poured and thunder rumbled. The trees ahead lit up in sharp white for a second, followed by an ear-splitting bang.


    ''Holy...'' James breathed. ''Guys, it''s a full on storm out there. We gotta be careful.''


    ''Great,'' Bill snorted.


    ''Oh no. I hate storms. I hoped I''d get a break from those away from home.''


    James nodded. Rain and thunder was nothing new to anyone from Gordion. It was the norm there. But this seemed unusually violent regardless.


    ''Well, we''ve got a ship to catch. Let''s go.'' Rich pushed past James and went out into the downpour. The rain bounced from Rich''s helmet and shoulders, surrounding him in a halo of mist.


    James followed. The rain beat down so hard it hurt, and his vision almost became zero. Water rushed down the visor in streams, bright lightning flashes blinded him, and the dark shadows under the trees hid puddles and roots, causing him to stumble.


    A sudden yell to his right had him spin around.


    At first, he didn''t see a problem. Olivia simply stood there, between a rock and a tree.


    ''Help me, idiot!'' she called.


    He realized she couldn''t move then. Her feet had sunk into the ground, a puddle of mud greedily sucking her in.


    ''Shit!'' He dropped the scrap he held, and rushed forward with the shovel extended.


    A bright light and the loudest bang he''d ever heard followed him. He threw himself to the ground, and covered his head with his hands. Pieces of dirt rained over him. He looked back.


    A blackened patch or ground and the melted remains of the scrap lay where he''d stood only a second before.


    ''Seven Lords, hurry up!'' Olivia''s voice sounded faint and muted in his ringing ears.


    Heart drumming like a metal band, he got back up and held out the shovel towards Olivia. She grabbed it and, agonizingly slow, pulled herself out from the mud.


    ''Hurry, let''s go,'' he shouted as she got up.


    She nodded, and bolted forward. James didn''t bother with the dropped scrap, he had enough in his pockets and backpack.


    Another lightning bolt struck the ground between him and Olivia. He gasped, every hair on his body standing on end, his ears buzzing painfully.


    The run back to the shuttle felt like a million years of sweat, burning muscles, blinding light, pitch black shadows, and cramping lungs. At least he didn''t see any creatures.


    The sight of the ship felt like a miracle. Bill and Rich stood in the doorway, looking out and waving their hands frantically for them to hurry. How Bill had passed him, or when, James had no clue. But he didn''t care. Moments before he and Olivia reached out to grab the rungs of the ladder, lightning hit the shuttle. Bright light, screams, and then darkness.


    They stood frozen for a while, looking up at the mesh walkway.


    Did he dare touch the rungs?


    ''Hurry, get up! It''s leaving in a few minutes,'' Bill''s voice barked from above.


    James snapped out of it and rushed up. Olivia followed.


    Bill stood by the open doors and the interior was draped in darkness. Only the faint light of the computer screen lit up a shadowy figure inside. Rich.


    ''They''re in, go!'' Bill ordered.


    Rich pulled the lever. ''On route to the Company,'' he replied and coughed.


    James wondered if the ship would even start, but had no breath left to ask. He pulled off the helmet as soon as the doors closed, and sucked in air. Olivia followed suit.


    ''I''ve never been that scared of lightning before,'' James wheezed after a while, sitting on the floor.


    Olivia shook her head. ''Me neither. But when I got stuck there, I thought I was gonna die. And you just looked at me. What the hell, man?''


    ''Sorry, I didn''t see you were stuck. I was wondering why you just stood there with no monsters around.'' He chuckled, feeling stupid. But the rain had almost blinded him.


    ''Man, you''re thick,'' she huffed.


    He grinned. ''Saved you though.''


    ''Yeah.'' She smiled for a second. ''Thanks.''


    The shuttle shook and trembled, a warning signal bleeped a few times, and they had to hold on to not helplessly slide along the floor as they made their way through the storm and out into the calm quiet of space.

 18 - Defiance

    As they stood on the pier of Gordion, in front of the impossibly tall Company building again, James enjoyed a few moments of peace, simply listening to the wind howling and feeling the cool water droplets prickle his face, the smell of seaweed and salt. The feeling was short lived.


    ''Get your ass moving,'' Bill said.


    ''Yeah yeah.'' James picked up some scrap and brought it to the counter in the wall. Watched the screen above. Empty yet. He glared at the hatch in the alcove behind the counter. Was the monster in there real? Was it maybe a machine, to scare the employees? Were there really nobody working inside? If not, why was the building so large? Why were there no windows? He had so many questions. But he was more interested in getting away, then finding out. He had to try something. If he failed, at least he''d tried.


    His hands sweaty from nervousness, he yelled:


    ''Hey! Anybody in there? Who''s in charge here? I need to talk to the manager!''


    Everyone stopped and stared at him. He didn''t care. He wanted justice. He wanted revenge.


    ''I''m talking to you! Come out and talk to us. We have complaints.''


    ''Man, you need to stop that,'' Rich snapped from behind. ''It doesn''t like loud noises.''


    ''It?'' James turned to face the man. His eyes were wide, his face pale. James frowned. ''I don''t care about the monster. We need to talk to someone. We need to get out of this mess.''


    ''Man, they''re not gonna talk to you. They''ll only ignore you, or kill you. You should know this.''


    ''Yeah, I know. But I still have to tr-''


    A metallic thunk came from behind.


    James froze for a second, then quickly looked back.


    The hatch had opened. He swallowed, his throat gone dry. His determination almost evaporated as he stared into the darkness inside.


    ''Get back,'' Rich hissed.


    ''James, what the actual fuck,'' Bill half-shouted from the shuttle.


    James steeled himself. ''Anyone in there? Come out. We need to talk.''


    No reply, just some odd scraping noises and deep grumbles.


    James grabbed a bottle from the tray he''d set on the ground, raised his arm and aimed. ''Assholes!'' He threw the bottle through the open hatch.


    A loud rumble and faint quake had James regret his actions, and he hastily sidestepped. A second later, the two large tentacles he''d seen before whipped out, grabbing for him. He scrambled further back. One of the tentacles nearly curled around his leg, but he jumped, and it wrapped around the tray with the glass bottles, yanking them back inside.


    James stood, his whole body trembling, watching the hatch close. Shit, that had been close. Too close. He didn''t need to be told the thing would pull him inside as well, if it got a hold of him. Still, there had to be people somewhere. Had to be.


    ''Are you insane,'' Olivia called from behind a container. ''It almost got you then.''


    He nodded and croaked, ''Yeah. I noticed. But I have to try.''


    ''You don''t have to anything. But I think we all agree that we''d rather you stayed alive,'' Bill commented rather sharply.


    ''Rebecca died!'' he snapped back. ''Dak died. We can''t just let them do this to us. It''s not fair. The least they could do it give us weapons. But they don''t give us anything. They send us out to die. I want to... I need to get out of this. We all do.''


    ''Yeah, but it''s not possible,'' Rich muttered. ''We just have to try and survive, and then when the contract goes out...''


    ''You seriously think you can survive until your contract goes out? For real?'' James shouted. Filled with rage, James tossed another piece of scrap at the closed hatch. ''Those evil bastards need to be held accountable, or they''re gonna keep doing this and sending more people out to die. For what? Why do they even need this stuff?''


    ''James, calm down. You know we can''t change anything. I''m pretty sure there''s only the monster in there. They''re not here. There''s at least no people here,'' Bill said, his dark eyes unusually wide.


    Did he see fear there? Maybe he should calm down. But he really didn''t want to. He wanted vengeance for his friends. ''How do you know?''


    ''The phone call, when they first contacted you,'' Bill continued.


    ''What about it?'' Confused, James looked up at the building again, over to the container-like shuttle, and back to Bill.


    ''It didn''t come from Gordion, or even Earth.''


    James blinked. What? What did he mean. He opened his mouth to say something, but found no words.


    ''I traced it, when I was angry, like you,'' Bill rasped. ''It came from somewhere else, far away. I don''t know where. But no known human settlements.''


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    ''That''s... impossible,'' James said lamely.


    Rich and Olivia stared at Bill as well, still as statues.


    What did all this mean? What could he do about it? Could he do anything about it? If their employers weren''t human, if they were something else, maybe that explained why they were so callous and didn''t give them what they needed. But in that case, what was that thing in the building. And what did it need the scrap for? It made no sense.


    ''All I know is they''re not from here. And I think the only thing in the building is the monster. Let''s leave it at that and try to survive. Maybe we can buy better gear. Sometimes there''s zap guns and stun grenades.''


    ''That''s it? No guns? No explosives?'' He''d never used a gun or grenades, but he sure wanted them now. It couldn''t be that hard to learn to use. He was very motivated.


    ''No, nothing lethal, usually. You''d have seen them by now, if there were.''


    James nodded. Then he had an idea.


    He headed to the shuttle and started the ship''s computer and opened the store. He scrolled down the list of items, ignoring the pieces of conversation he heard from outside. Was there nothing useful? He stopped scrolling as he spotted a ladder. Extendible ladder. That could be useful. He glanced at the door, but couldn''t see the walls from in here.


    Maybe, if it extended far enough. It was worth a try, wasn''t it?


    He ordered it, hoping the others wouldn''t get mad. Then he went to the landing pad for the rocket, and watched the grey clouds for a while.


    A hand on his shoulder made him jump.


    ''Sorry, didn''t mean to startle you,'' Olivia said. ''What did you buy?''


    ''Just a ladder.''


    ''Ladder?''


    ''Yeah. I wanna test how far it extends. Might be useful.''


    She eyed him for a moment before replying. ''Useful for what, exactly?''


    He grinned guiltily for a second. ''Escaping.''


    They all stood around the extendible ladder as James fiddled with it. The tall gate stood as unyielding as ever. James hoped the ladder would be long enough. The gate wasn''t as high as the surrounding walls, so it was their best shot. He pressed the button.


    The metal box opened, and a ladder clicked upwards, one step at a time.


    ''I hope it''ll be enough,'' Olivia whispered.


    Bill shrugged, and Rich simply watched in silence. James thought he knew what they were thinking, and he thought the same. Surely, The Company wouldn''t sell something that made their escape this easy. But he still had to try. Sometimes people made stupid mistakes. And hopefully, so did aliens. Or whatever they were.


    The ladder stopped. James groaned. It didn''t reach all the way up.


    ''Fuu...''


    ''I''ll climb up and see if I can reach,'' Rich said unexpectedly.


    ''It''s too short,'' James grumbled.


    ''Yeah, but maybe it''s tall enough if we add some things.''


    ''Didn''t think of that. Good idea.''


    The Company didn''t sell rope, but maybe if they scavenged some good cable and something to use as a hook, they could have themselves a makeshift rope and get out. It wasn''t a bad idea. His spirits rose as he watched Rich climb the ladder. He reached the end, and standing on the top rung, he leaned against the gate for a while, reaching up with his hands. He wasn''t close enough, but with a rope, he could toss it over. James was certain about it.


    Then the ladder started folding itself up. Rich shouted and flailed his arms for balance. Then he simply flopped forward against the gate as he slid down with the ladder, a squeaking cry escaping him almost all the way down. James and Bill rushed to stand under the ladder, and as Rich fell the last bit, they caught him, if clumsily, and eased his fall.


    ''Holy... thank you, guys,'' Rich panted. ''I thought I''d fall and smash my face on the concrete.''


    ''Don''t mention it,'' Bill said and James nodded.


    James had gotten Rich arm in the face, and his temple stung a bit, but other than that, it hadn''t been too bad. Nobody was injured.


    ''I have an idea,'' James announced.


    Later, they all sat in the shuttle, eating canned food; the scrap sold and their new gear collected and ready for the next day.


    ''I like the idea. And even if it ends up not working, we can at least feel like we tried out best,'' Olivia said between spoons.


    James nodded. ''I think it''ll work. Unless they stop us somehow.''


    Bill looked unusually pleased. ''It could work. But I wouldn''t be too hopeful. We don''t know what they might have up their sleeves. But I''m all in for trying.''


    ''Where do you think we could most likely find the scrap we need?'' James asked.


    Bill grunted and got up to check on the computer. He hummed to himself for a while before looking back at them.


    ''There''s a moon called Offense. It''s like Assurance, but less looted. It''s also a little more dangerous, but no worse than March.''


    ''Danger''s my middle name,'' James muttered.


    Olivia snorted. ''I don''t like the sound of that.''


    ''There''s greater chance of finding what we need without needing to pay for it. Or, we go back to March.''


    ''No, thank you.'' James shook his head violently. He had no wish to go back to the giant infested forests or shadow filled corridors. Logically, he knew it wouldn''t be better anywhere else. Just different, but he''d rather go somewhere new.


    ''Pay for it?'' Olivia asked.


    ''The best moons cost a lot to go to.''


    ''Wait, we have to pay to work there?'' she gaped.


    ''Yes.'' Rich nodded. ''But it''s worth it. If you live.''


    ''Well?'' Bill looked at the others.


    Olivia shrugged, looking pale.


    ''It doesn''t matter,'' Rich said.


    ''We don''t have that much money now,'' James pointed out.


    ''Let''s try Offense then.'' Bill typed on the computer and pulled the lever.


    James'' stomach knotted. He hated this. But at least they had a plan, a goal. This time it felt slightly more worth going as they didn''t just do it because The Company forced them. If only his friends could have been with them.


    He lay down on the bunk bed to attempt some rest before they arrived at the new moon.