《Hell's Ark》


 Chapter 1

    Space travel is an adventure. Stepping aboard a ship made your stomach buzz with anticipation, discovering idyllic planets took your breath away, and when you came home, you had a hundred stories to tell over dinner. According to the movies, at least.


    Erika Krupin¡¯s stomach did buzz when she stepped aboard the spaceship, but that was more anxiety than anticipation. The company forced Erika to sign a confidentiality clause, so she couldn¡¯t share her story with anyone. Oh, and the idyllic planets?


    Erika was on a planet called Tartarus, named after the Greek underworld. The bush analogue Erika crouched in for the past hour had a fleshy texture, like torn skin. The surrounding trees stretched high in the sky, casting purple shadows across the ground. Above those trees hung bruised clouds, drifting toward Erika, and promising an unscheduled acid bath. Paradise indeed.


    Aymeric squatted at Erika¡¯s side, net gun loose in his hands. He wore a blue enviro-suit, same as Erika. There were no tints on the helmets, so Aymeric¡¯s face was visible inside. His expression sagged with boredom as he watched the clearing.


    In the glade sat a tree¨Cexcept it wasn¡¯t really a tree. It had a trunk that rose from the ground and split into jagged branches, and it grew leaves, but the creature had a fleshy texture. This was a tree analogue. They should really be classified as something else, something more accurate, but nobody had time to classify the alien flora. All that mattered was the bait smeared against the not-tree.


    Erika did her best to keep her eyes on the foliage, waiting for her quarry to rustle through, but she kept glancing up to the dusty sky. The clouds inched forward. She had taken a sample of the rain to study, and oh boy was it corrosive. It would eat through an enviro-suit and burn whatever flesh it came into contact with.


    ¡°It would be so nice if our friend showed up sooner rather than later,¡± Aymeric muttered over the radio.


    ¡°Yeah, it would,¡± Erika said. The clouds were closer.


    This wouldn¡¯t have happened if SmallWorld gave the crew another month, if the flight to Tartarus didn¡¯t take so long, if studying the aliens on the planet consisted of more than trial and error. There wouldn¡¯t be clouds threatening to kill Erika and everyone else if SmallWorld would accept two new aliens instead of three.


    The foliage rustled.


    Erika tensed.


    Luther and Petra hid on the other side of the clearing, in another patch of bushes, but Erika knew the rustling hadn¡¯t come from the other scientists.


    Aymeric strengthened the grip on his net gun.


    Foliage pushed to the side. A dark shape moved through the tan colored grasses, heading for the clearing.


    First came a head, large and insectile. It¡¯s black eyes glittered. The mandibles on its cheeks fluttered.


    The emaciated green-gray body followed. The creature¡¯s arms ended in taloned hands. It skittered forward on legs bent like a bird¡¯s. Finally, the blade-like tail exited the grass.


    The creature had no classification and no official scientific name. Erika and the other scientists referred to it simply as the Carnifex. The name came from the Latin term for ¡°butcher.¡± The name was appropriate.


    The Carnifex stepped into the clearing, and jerked its head around. The alien was cautious, though Erika couldn¡¯t understand why. From her observation of the species, the Carnifex had no competition or predators. Once the alien was in an enclosure and Erika could study it, maybe she¡¯d figure out its behavior. Or that behavior would disappear in a confined environment. Like everything else with the aliens, there were no assurances.


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    ¡°Does everyone see it?¡± Luther asked through the radio.


    ¡°Oh I see it.¡± Aymeric leveled the net gun.


    ¡°Good. Count down to when you fire, please,¡± Luther said.


    Aymeric cracked a smile. He was not a scientist, at least not in the traditional sense. Aymeric was a big game hunter, and right now, he was in his element. Erika wondered if the storm excited him instead of terrifying him.


    ¡°Three,¡± Aymeric said.


    Erika pulled her shock spear off the ground, but she didn¡¯t flick the power on. Yet.


    ¡°Two,¡±


    The Carnifex approached the bait in the tree analogue.


    ¡°One,¡±


    The net gun fired with a hiss.


    The net flung through the air and tangled itself around the Carnifex.


    The alien chirped in alarm.


    Erika rushed out of the bushes.


    On the other side of the clearing, Luther and Petra did the same.


    The Carnifex struggled in the net.


    Erika jabbed her shock spear into the Carnifex¡¯s body. The alien wailed and writhed. Its pointed tail lashed around and scraped against its own body.


    Erika stepped back, but kept her spear leveled at the creature.


    Luther jabbed the Carnifex with his spear. The Carnifex clawed at the net, but got nowhere. Its tail stabbed through a hole in the mesh.


    Luther scrambled back. The point of the tail reached centimeters from Luther¡¯s helmet, then drew back.


    Petra took a confident step forward. Luther grabbed her arm before she could get into range.


    ¡°We need to wait,¡± Luther said over the open channel.


    ¡°One more shock could stop it,¡± Petra said.


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably make things worse,¡± Aymeric said.


    Erika didn¡¯t join in the conversation; she was busy watching the Carnifex. The creature grabbed at the netting, but couldn¡¯t pull it apart with its gnarled hands. Its tail managed to stab through the mesh through, and it would be sharp enough to cut out of the net if left alone¡­


    Erika jabbed her shock spear into the animal.


    ¡°We can¡¯t let it escape,¡± Erika said before Luther could argue. Erika absolutely respected Luther¡¯s leadership, but there were times when something had to be done without waiting for the boss to give a thumbs up.


    The Carnifex screeched.


    Its tail stabbed out of the netting.


    Erika sidestepped.


    The tail swung in an arc and cut a gash into the net.


    ¡°Stay back!¡± Aymeric shouted, though everyone else was already scrambling away.


    The net ripped apart. The Carnifex scratched the remnants off itself.


    The scientists formed a circle around the alien.


    The Carnifex ripped off the last piece of net. It examined the scientists surrounding it with quick, bird-like tilts of its head.


    Petra stepped forward.


    The Carnifex¡¯s tail whistled through the air.


    Petra yelped over the radio, and stumbled back.


    The Carnifex rushed at her.


    Erika saw the future.


    The Carnifex would stab through Petra¡¯s helmet, and through her skull. No one could stop it.


    Still, Erika ran forward. She held her shock spear ready.


    The Carnifex was closing in on Petra.


    Luther and Aymeric moved to intercept too, but they would be too slow. They would help carry Petra¡¯s broken body back to the shuttle.


    No, no, no!


    The Carnifex leapt over Petra. It dashed through the alien foliage.


    Erika stopped next to Petra and spun around. The Carnifex could still be in the grass or the bushes. Luther and Aymeric came to Erika¡¯s side and raised their shock spears to the alien landscape.


    Quiet.


    Petra scrambled up from the ground and brushed herself off.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect that,¡± she said. ¡°Someone saw where it went, right?¡±


    Erika turned her focus to Luther, and Luther stared back. Neither saw where the Carnifex went. The pair looked to Aymeric. He shook his head.


    ¡°I was too worried about Petra,¡± Aymeric said. ¡°But, y¡¯know, I can track. We can catch that bastard before¨C¡±


    Thunder rolled through the forest.

 Chapter 2

    The thunder rattled Luther¡¯s ribcage. He stood still and waited for a drop of rain to land on his helmet and sizzle on the plastic.


    Nothing happened. Yet.


    Hopefully we¡¯ll have time to find the Carnifex again.


    A cloud of conflicting emotions flitted across Erika¡¯s face. Petra turned her face into a mask of confidence, which was how she hid her irritation. Aymeric glowered into the alien foliage, in the direction the Carnifex ran.


    ¡°We can track it down again,¡± Aymeric said.


    ¡°How long would that take?¡± Luther asked.


    ¡°If this was a tiger or an elephant I could tell you off the top of my head,¡± Aymeric said. ¡°With this thing, though?¡±


    Thunder rolled across Tartarus¡¯s surface.


    ¡°We can track it down, and still have plenty of time before the rain hits.¡± As always, Petra clung to the best-case scenario.


    The most likely scenario was one where the scientists returned to Earth with only two aliens. The SmallWorld managers would demand to know what happened and why, then they would dole out punishment. Luther didn¡¯t think either he or Erika would be fired¨Cboth were too valuable as researchers to get rid of¨Cbut Petra and Aymeric could be replaced. SmallWorld wouldn¡¯t find a veterinarian of Petra¡¯s caliber, but they could find someone similar enough in skillset. There were plenty of big game hunters on Earth who could replace Aymeric. Both were good people who deserved better than to be fired for something out of their control.


    So Luther made his decision.


    ¡°Aymeric, please hurry,¡± Luther said.


    ¡°You got it.¡±


    Luther pulled a timer up on his helmet¡¯s readout, and set it for ten minutes. He sent the timer to the others.


    ¡°When this goes out, we go back to the shuttle, with or without the Carnifex,¡± Luther said.


    Aymeric found the Carnifex¡¯s tracks in the mud, hidden in the grass. The prints were hard for Luther to see, though Erika and Petra seemed to have no trouble spying the footprints.


    I¡¯m getting old.


    Luther followed a step behind Aymeric. He spun his shock spear in his gloved hand and watched his timer tick down. Erika, on Aymeric¡¯s other side, busied herself reloading the net gun while keeping pace. Petra took the rear and scanned through the foliage in search of an ambush.


    Aymeric came to an abrupt stop, and Luther had to do the same or crash into his friend. Aymeric bent down to the ground, studied the mud, then looked into the distance.


    ¡°We lost the tracks,¡± Aymeric announced.


    ¡°There¡¯s trees around us. The Carnifex can climb.¡± Erika turned around. She passed the net gun to Aymeric, then pulled out her shock spear.


    Luther glanced over the tree analogues. Their bare, fleshly limbs swayed in the breeze.


    Lightning flashed in the dark green clouds. Thunder swiftly followed.


    Five minutes passed on the timer; five minutes remained.


    Luther was tempted to order everyone back to the shuttle and get as far away from Tartarus and its acid storm as possible.


    Think about what the company will do to everyone.


    Earth and the SmallWorld managers were light years away, yet they had their hooks in Luther¡¯s brain. He wished that he could slice those control threads. In any other scenario, returning to the shuttle was the right choice.


    ¡°The Carnifex isn¡¯t here,¡± Aymeric announced. ¡°It went further ahead.¡±


    Aymeric turned to Luther.


    ¡°We have a little more time. We keep going.¡± Luther projected confidence in his voice, though he didn¡¯t feel it in his heart.


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    Aymeric nodded, then led the group deeper into the alien forest. The time passed faster. Two minutes remained. If the team caught up with the Carnifex, they would have to capture and incapacitate it within a few minutes.


    The dirt turned to mud again.


    Aymeric squatted to get a better look at the ground. He pointed to some light prints. It was fainter than the tracks from before, though it was the Carnifex¡¯s feet.


    Only a minute and a half remained.


    ¡°Our buddy felt safe enough to slow down,¡± Aymeric announced. ¡°These tracks look fresh, too. I think we¡¯re close.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ve got time to spare,¡± Petra said.


    The clouds thundered in response.


    ¡°Go slow and keep your eyes wide the fuck open,¡± Aymeric said.


    The group trekked through the foliage.


    Luther realized that this patch alien jungle looked the same to him as the patch of jungle from before. When the mission was over, Luther would check his progress and see if he¡¯d gone in a circle, or if it only felt that way.


    The foliage rustled and parted.


    Something was coming.


    Luther flicked his shock spear on. Before he could aim at whatever was coming, it burst from the foliage, claws ready.


    ? ? ?


    Erika threw herself to the side to avoid the arcing tail. She slammed into one of the tree analogues.


    The Carnifex lunged with a whistle.


    Erika ducked.


    Petra grabbed Erika¡¯s shoulder and yanked her back.


    The Carnifex¡¯s tail sliced through the tree analogue, and the severed trunk slammed into the forest floor.


    ¡°Holy shit this thing!¡± Petra shouted.


    Aymeric aimed the net gun.


    The Carnifex swung its tail, forcing Aymeric to stumble back and drop his weapon.


    The Carnifex pulled its tail back, and aimed the point at Aymeric.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Erika ran forward, spear ready.


    The Carnifex jerked its head to see the new threat.


    Erika readied her spear.


    The Carnifex swung high.


    Erika forced herself to stop.


    The tail cut through the air in front of Erika.


    ¡°Everyone, stay back!¡± Luther ordered.


    The scientists stepped away from the creature. The Carnifex stood with its limbs bent, ready to lunge. Its tail was up and ready to strike.


    Erika kept her shock spear aimed at the creature, ready for it to lunge at her.


    What are you gonna do next?


    The Carnifex let out a whistle as sharp as its tail. Its head flicked from one scientist to the next with quick jerks. Nobody would be able to get the drop on the alien.


    ¡°Luther, what do we do?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet,¡± Luther said. ¡°Aymeric, do you think you can find the net gun?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for it. Fucking thing fell off the face of the Earth.¡± Aymeric said. He should have said the net gun fell off the face of Tartarus.


    A glob of water struck Erika¡¯s shoulder.


    She flinched.


    Where the water fell, the blue of her enviro-suit turned white.


    More rain fell.


    It streaked across Erika¡¯s helmet and left gouges on the screen. She retreated beneath a tree, but the leaves offered little protection. The others backed into trees, and kept their eyes on the Carnifex. The alien stood in the open and let the rain run down its carapace. It didn¡¯t change color or writhe in pain. Life on Tartarus was adapted to the acid rain.


    ¡°We need to retreat.¡± Luther¡¯s voice was flat.


    ¡°We can still do this,¡± Petra said.


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t. We retreat now,¡± Luther said.


    Luther turned, and hurried back the way the group came. Aymeric followed a few steps behind.


    The Carnifex¡¯s tail was lowered. The creature decided that the humans were no longer a threat, and it could drop its guard.


    But you¡¯re wrong about that.


    The Carnifex¡¯s focus was in the direction Luther went¨Cthe direction opposite of Erika.


    She marched out from under her tree. Acid pounded on her suit and left white streaks. Erika could only see indistinct shapes through her helmet. If the acid made even a little hole in that helmet, Erika would suck down Tartarus¡¯s air.


    Don¡¯t think about it.


    Erika readied her shock spear. The Carnifex was only a few meters away.


    The creature snapped its focus to Erika.


    Maybe it heard Erika¡¯s footsteps. Maybe it had a sixth sense. Hell, the Carnifex might have looked in Erika¡¯s direction by sheer dumb luck. No matter why the Carnifex saw Erika, it saw Erika.


    The creature spun around.


    Erika was too close now; it was her or the alien.


    She lunged.


    The Carnifex lashed its tail out.


    Erika connected the spear¡¯s tip with the Carnifex¡¯s head.


    The Carnifex writhed as electricity shot through its body. Its tail was still coming.


    Erika tried to pivot and avoid the attack, but the tail hit.


    It struck Erika¡¯s shoulder, and came with enough force to send her stumbling to the ground.


    But I¡¯m still alive.


    The Carnifex was still up and still convulsing.


    Erika scrambled to her feet.


    The Carnifex swayed now, like there was a breeze.


    Erika swung her spear. Her shoulder screamed in pain, and Erika screamed with it. She struck the Carnifex a second time.


    The impact jarred Erika¡¯s shoulder, but it knocked the animal to the ground.


    Luther stopped at Erika¡¯s side.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Luther demanded.


    Erika¡¯s shoulder throbbed. The pain wasn¡¯t too bad, though, at least with adrenaline and fear coursing through Erika¡¯s body.


    ¡°I took the Carnifex down,¡± Erika stated.


    Luther looked at Erika¡¯s face.


    She couldn¡¯t see his expression through her damaged helmet and sheets of rain. She hoped Luther was proud of her.


    ¡°Everyone!¡± Luther shouted. ¡°We¡¯ve got the Carnifex! We need to grab it and hurry!¡±

 Chapter 3

    While the eggheads skipped around on an alien planet, Mi-Cha stood guard at the shuttle. From the inside. Mostly by pacing around the cockpit.


    Mi-Cha had already checked and double checked the ship¡¯s systems. She found a few issues, but those were the expected issues. The problems with the flickering light in the cockpit or the shaky air filters didn¡¯t mean a fuck to Mi-Cha. The engines ran. When she pushed buttons and yanked the control stick, the ship responded. That¡¯s all anyone needed from a shuttle.


    I also need those scientists to get their asses back here.


    Acid rain pounded against the shuttle¡¯s roof. The damage reports said the ship was fine, but Mi-Cha knew the hull was gonna have some burns in it. That was fine, of course. Nobody was displaying the shuttle in a showroom. But if the ship sat outside too long, got too much rain on it, the acid could burn through to something that actually mattered.


    Mi-Cha climbed into the cockpit and powered the engines. They wheezed and coughed, but came to life.


    Mi-Cha wasn¡¯t supposed to leave Tartarus until the scientists were safely aboard the ship, but if the acid got too bad, she¡¯d have no trouble ditching them. Sure she¡¯d get yelled at and maybe lose her job, but she¡¯d rather be a bum than dead on some shithole planet.


    ¡°Mi-Cha, this is Luther. Are you there?¡± A voice crackled over the radio.


    ¡°Where the flying fuck are you?¡± Mi-Cha demanded. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be back here, y¡¯know, before the planet pissed stomach acid onto my shuttle!¡±


    ¡°We had a delay.¡±


    ¡°Get back here now, or I¡¯m leaving your asses behind!¡± Mi-Cha shouted.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be there, promise.¡±


    Mi-Cha huffed.


    The rain hammered faster against the hull.


    Mi-Cha ran her hand over the ship controls, gently, so she didn¡¯t accidentally trigger something. As soon as an alarm went off, though, Mi-Cha was out. Fuck the scientists and fuck their alien.


    ? ? ?


    Erika saw the others carrying the Carnifex as nothing but smeared colors as rain raced down her helmet. Erika was exempt from Carnifex carrying duty thanks to her shoulder, which throbbed in pain and creaked when moved. But hey, Erika had been hit with the flat of the Carnifex¡¯s tail. If it had been ready for her, if it swung with its blade, Erika would have been cut in half. She was very aware of how lucky she¡¯d been.


    Erika¡¯s foot caught something on the forest floor. She stumbled forward and onto the ground.


    ¡°Erika!¡± Petra shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± She scrambled back to her feet. Alien mud clung to her gloved hands.


    The figures carrying the Carnifex stopped. Their enviro-suits lost color in streaks, or at least that¡¯s what Erika thought she saw.


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    If we had a little more time, we wouldn¡¯t be dealing with this.


    And, naturally, Mi-Cha wanted to be obstinate and threaten to leave everyone without a ride.


    Erika knew exactly what would happen then. The acid wouldn¡¯t let up. It would eat through everyone¡¯s suits, through their helmets, and kill them. When the rain stopped, there wouldn¡¯t be bodies to recover, just a mass of red sludge that had once been a science team.


    Erika pushed that thought out of mind.


    ¡°The shuttle¡¯s right in front of us!¡± Luther shouted.


    The tree analogues parted away to a large clearing, like the one the shuttle landed on. Erika couldn¡¯t see the shuttle. She wiped an arm across her helmet, and yes, there was the shuttle. Its thrusters glowed an ominous blue.


    ¡°Hurry the fuck up!¡± Mi-Cha shouted.


    What do you think we¡¯re doing?


    Erika pushed her legs as fast as she could in an enviro-suit. There was a stitch in her side. It had been there for a while, she thought, but Erika hadn¡¯t had time to register it until now.


    I¡¯m going to be too slow. I won¡¯t reach the shuttle, and everyone will leave without me.


    Erika reached the shuttle¡¯s hull. She wiped away the acid rain again, and looked over the ship¡¯s side. She found the console, and pressed the button.


    The airlock doors hissed open.


    Luther, Petra, and Aymeric hauled the Carnifex in. Erika stumbled after them, then shut the door. The ground rumbled under Erika¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s set it down,¡± Luther said.


    The crew lowered the Carnifex to the floor.


    ¡°Aymeric, Petra, I want you to keep an eye on it.¡± Luther moved to the side of the wall. There was a button somewhere that would start the decontamination protocol. It would wash away the acid, then pressurize the air. The Carnifex was supposed to be in a storage unit at the back of the shuttle, but there wasn¡¯t time for that. The creature would just have to survive¨C


    The engines roared. The ship bucked. Erika leaned against a wall for balance.


    ¡°Mi-Cha, what¡¯s going on?¡± Aymeric asked.


    ? ? ?


    ¡°I¡¯m getting off this planet; that¡¯s what!¡± Mi-Cha snapped.


    The shuttle hadn¡¯t beeped out any alarms, but Mi-Cha felt them coming. The ship spent too long in the rain, and unless it got above the clouds right then, something important would get trashed.


    A pilot was supposed to wait for their passengers to buckle up before breaking atmo, but Mi-Cha didn¡¯t give a shit. The scientists made her fly to a shit-ass planet; it was their fault they were getting thrown around.


    Mi-Cha lifted the shuttle above the trees.


    ¡°Mi-Cha, give us a moment to strap in!¡± Luther called.


    A gust of wind rammed the shuttle. Mi-Cha yanked the controls in the opposite direction to right the ship.


    ¡°Hold on to something!¡± Mi-Cha shouted.


    Four pissed off voices tried to say something at the same time.


    Mi-Cha aimed the shuttle skyward, then cranked power to the engines.


    The ship rocketed into the clouds.


    The shouting got louder.


    The clouds took up the shuttle¡¯s vision. Moisture smacked against the window then darted away. Winds slapped the shuttle around.


    Mi-Cha maneuvered the ship for all it was worth. She was not gonna let some ugly cloud knock her out of the sky.


    The shuttle broke through. The dusty sky stretched into the distance. The winds slapped at the ship, but they didn¡¯t have the same energy as before.


    Mi-Cha relaxed her grip. Her palms were sweaty and slick on the controls, but she wasn¡¯t gonna let go until the shuttle reached home.


    She pulled up the comms.


    ¡°How¡¯s everyone doing?¡± Mi-Cha asked.


    ¡°We still need to run the decontamination procedure, and take the Carnifex to an enclosure,¡± Luther answered.


    ¡°We¡¯re all a little banged up, too,¡± Erika added.


    ¡°Aw, well, maybe you shouldn¡¯t make a bitch wait so long.¡± Mi-Cha grinned.


    The shuttle pierced Tartarus¡¯s atmosphere. Unfamiliar stars glittered on a black background. One of the dots didn¡¯t shine brilliantly like a star. That dot was a ship waiting on the edge of Tartarus¡¯s gravity well. That¡¯s where Mi-Cha was flying.

 Chapter 4

    Erika¡¯s home, for the last few months, was the Hell¡¯s Ark. The ship was a battered and bruised vessel closing in on its thirtieth birthday. Light fixtures in narrow halls had fallen into disuse a decade ago. The airlock doors groaned when they opened and closed. The lab retrofitted into ship, however, was state of the art. That was, according to SmallWorld, the only part of the ship that mattered.


    Mi-Cha maneuvered the shuttle into the Ark¡¯s holding bay. The Carnifex woke up during the flight, though by the time it regained consciousness, the scientists had the alien strapped to a table. The creature jerked in its restraints, and when it realized it couldn¡¯t escape, it stopped to conserve energy. Only a few creatures struggled beyond the first few seconds, at least in Erika¡¯s experience.


    The Carnifex could move its head, so it focused on Erika. She rubbed her shoulder. It throbbed.


    ¡°It got you good,¡± Luther said.


    ¡°I need a few minutes to walk it off,¡± Erika replied.


    Luther rubbed his chin, a sure sign he was going to give unsolicited advice.


    ¡°You should visit the med bay,¡± Luther said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, really.¡±


    ¡°Even so, you can pick up painkillers,¡± Luther said.


    Erika sighed, then she nodded.


    ¡°Home sweet home, everybody,¡± Mi-Cha called over the radio.


    Aymeric and Petra slid into the room.


    ¡°We thought you could use some help with our new friend,¡± Aymeric said.


    ¡°I can, thank you,¡± Luther said. ¡°We¡¯ve got it from here, Erika. Get yourself checked out.¡±


    Erika was fine enough to help carry the Carnifex, but she decided to keep her mouth shut and maneuver her way to the exit.


    ¡°Oh, one thing,¡± Luther called.


    Erika turned around.


    ¡°When you¡¯re through at the med bay, come meet me in my room. There¡¯s something I wanted to talk about,¡± Luther said.


    A spike of fear pierced Erika¡¯s chest. Her eyes widened for a brief moment, then she forced her expression to neutral.


    ¡°Okay. See you in a moment,¡± Erika said.


    She stepped into the elevator, and took it to the first floor. The machine moved slow, giving Erika time to think. She already knew what Luther would say: she¡¯d disobeyed orders when she attacked the Carnifex, and Luther now had to put a write-up in her file. Erika did not look forward to the talk.


    The elevator opened to the bridge. Erika marched to the side, where the main airlock and med bay waited. She stepped into the med bay, climbed onto the examination table, and booted the AutoDoc.


    The machine woke slowly, but once awake, it wasted no time getting to its job. The AutoDoc scanned Erika over, and determined that her shoulder was bruised, but nothing below the skin was fractured. The machine gave Erika a shot of a healing solution and a couple of weak painkillers, which is what she expected when she stepped into the med bay.


    With painkillers in hand, Erika should have gone directly to Luther¡¯s cabin to hear him out. But Erika needed to visit the lab. Petra could check on the aliens by herself; she knew the aliens well at this point, but Erika didn¡¯t want to pawn her work off to her friend. Erika would talk to Luther only after she¡¯d done her job.


    You¡¯re delaying. Of course Erika was delaying, but she didn¡¯t care. She was kind of hoping that, if she delayed long enough, Luther would forget all about the monologue he wanted to deliver.


    So Erika went to the third floor. Before entering the lab, she had to go through a decontamination procedure that took thirty seconds, which was thirty seconds added to her journey back to Luther.


    Petra and Aymeric were in the lab. Petra sat at a computer and tapped information into it while Aymeric inspected shock spears and net guns strewn on a table.


    Petra looked up from her computer. Her eyes widened when she saw Erika.


    ¡°That talk with Luther was fast,¡± Petra noted. ¡°How¡¯s that injury, by the way?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t hurt too bad. I just needed an injection and some pain pills,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°You¡¯re a toughie, you know that?¡± Aymeric called. ¡°If I got smacked by an alien, I¡¯d take the whole week off. And find a therapist.¡±


    Erika cracked a smile in his direction.


    ¡°Luther cleared you for work?¡± Petra asked.


    ¡°Well, he never said I couldn¡¯t work,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Did you actually talk to him?¡± Petra prodded.


    Erika gave a noncommittal shrug.


    Petra shook her head.


    ¡°Well, take it easy. Don¡¯t run any experiments by yourself,¡± she said.


    Erika went through a door on the side, into a small room with three heavy duty airlocks. She stepped into the rightmost door and into an observation room. The massive window in front showed a familiar scene from Tartarus¨Crocks and fleshy fauna analogues. The Carnifex lied in a heap in front of the window.


    Erika checked its vitals from the command board. The creature¡¯s body pulsed at a steady rate. The two other creatures captured from Tartarus pulsed at steady rates, too, so Erika figured the Carnifex was stable. She knew all too well that this was speculation on a creature she knew nothing about. Even life on Earth had a million and one variations, and nothing suggested that Tartarus had a less diverse biosphere. All Erika could do, however, was speculate, and her intuition told her the Carnifex was doing fine in its new enclosure.


    Next she checked on the Aranea. Movement from behind a rock caught Erika¡¯s eye, but she couldn¡¯t see the creature inside. She knew what the Aranea looked like, though: it was the bastard child of a tarantula and a cockroach. It would have just been a gross bug, if it wasn¡¯t the size of a Labrador Retriever.


    The Aranea was, honestly, one of the least interesting species from Tartarus. SmallWorld didn¡¯t want the most unique creatures though; they wanted aliens that the general public could point to and say, ¡°that looks like a tarantula crossed with a cockroach.¡± Erika let so many unique aliens out of her grasp because they wouldn¡¯t be marketable. Who cares if this animal can photosynthesize, or if this fungi grows in dry ice? The general public wouldn¡¯t know what to make of creatures like that; they came to SmallWorld zoos to see something strange, yet comprehensible.


    Erika checked the Aranea¡¯s habitat to ensure the temperature, humidity, and air makeup were a perfect simulation of Tartarus. Erika tried to find the Aranea through the cameras, though it was well hidden. Still, the glimpses she made out of the creature made it look content, so she decided everything was fine.


    ¡°There you are.¡±


    The voice made Erika jump. She spun around. Luther stood in the doorway, face unreadable.


    ¡°You got me.¡± Erika put a hand on her chest. Her heart hammered against her ribcage.


    ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d come to talk before you came to the lab,¡± Luther said.


    ¡°The aliens need to be checked.¡± They didn¡¯t need to be immediately checked, though. Erika should have taken a nice, long shower, or taken a nap in her room, or done something else to delay this stupid talk.


    ¡°I needed to talk to you about that last mission and what happened,¡± Luther said.


    ¡°I disobeyed orders. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Erika wanted to say that it wouldn¡¯t happen again, but she figured that she would eventually do her own thing again. If she was going to make a promise, she wanted to make one she could actually keep.


    ¡°I am upset that you disobeyed me, but that¡¯s not what I wanted to talk about,¡± Luther said.


    Erika tried to predict what Luther would say, but she didn¡¯t know where he was heading.


    ¡°You put yourself in extreme danger,¡± Luther said. ¡°I appreciate your effort, I really do, but our safety is the most important part of this job. It¡¯s more important than studying and capturing the aliens.¡±


    Erika¡¯s defenses fizzled up. She wanted to say something, but she didn¡¯t quite know what she wanted to say.


    ¡°I want us to all be safe, okay? I want the company to succeed, but not at the expense of my friends.¡± Luther was honest, too; the scientists were more than coworkers, they were friends. Erika just hadn¡¯t expected anyone to say that out loud.


    ¡°Yeah, I understand.¡± Her voice came out small.


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    Luther¡¯s features relaxed. He glanced to the Aranea enclosure.


    ¡°Is this your first check of the day?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I looked at the Carnifex, too. I think it¡¯s stable,¡± Erika said.


    Luther¡¯s left eye glowed blue as he checked his IRIS.


    ¡°Okay. Are you up to run an experiment with me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the job today.¡± Erika nodded.


    ? ? ?


    Something was always broken on the Hell¡¯s Ark. If it wasn¡¯t the water pressure, then it was the food printer. If it wasn¡¯t the food printer, then a stabilizer needed repairs. If the stabilizer was good, the air recycler needed work. The Ark always made sure Theo Salvador had something to do. Today, the water pressure was weak.


    Theo made a final twist of his wrench, then stepped back from the pipes.


    ¡°Try it now,¡± he said.


    Clive was already in position. He was a broad man with heavy features and a clump of enamel pins on his navy jumpsuit. He was the muscle aboard the Ark, hired to haul, carry, and push things around. When he wasn¡¯t doing that, he helped Theo make repairs.


    Clive turned the shower handle. The water jet out in a satisfying spray. Clive turned the water off.


    ¡°Should we do anything else?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°This will work,¡± Theo said.


    With this repair out of the way, Theo could continue with his checklist.


    He and Clive headed to the fourth floor, where the reactor room waited. They stood in the control room for the reactor, a sealed box just in case the core started throwing off radiation. A thick window gave a clear view of the reactor.


    Theo ran diagnostics from the control room console, prompting a string of systems to appear. The results were a mix of green and red. Those red lights indicated minor malfunctions. The issues had sat on the back burner for months, and though Theo wanted to make those repairs, there was always something more urgent to snatch his attention.


    A new, unfamiliar red line appeared. The starboard engine was hotter than its thresholds. If left alone, it would burn out.


    Oil sloshed in Theo¡¯s stomach.


    The starboard engine usually ran hot, but it stayed just below the danger line. That was something Theo wanted to fix for a while, but it was never an urgent enough problem to deal with.


    The engine¡¯s in real trouble now. That has become your main issue.


    ¡°We need to go outside and make repairs on the engine,¡± Theo stated.


    ¡°That will mean slowing the ship down, right?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We should check in with the Captain,¡± Clive said.


    There was no point in checking in with anyone; the engine needed to be fixed as soon as possible. Theo would have gone out alone, but a spacewalk required at least two people. He needed Clive.


    Theo drew in a breath, and forced his features to be calm. There was no need for his emotions to appear on his face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get the Captain,¡± Theo said.


    ? ? ?


    Aymeric didn¡¯t know what Luther and Erika were planning, but they didn¡¯t need Aymeric or Petra for it. The pair stayed in the lab just long enough to finish their tasks.


    For Aymeric, that meant making sure the weapons worked, then cleaning the beakers and test tubes scattered around. He¡¯d gone through the weapons already; the shock spears were in their charging bays, and the net guns were loaded and cleaned. They¡¯d be useless during the journey back to Earth, but SmallWorld protocol dictated that the weapons be cleaned and loaded after every hunt, so Aymeric made sure the weapons were ready.


    It made sense for Aymeric to handle weapon maintenance, but cleaning the lab equipment? SmallWorld hired Aymeric because he was one of the best big game hunters on Earth. He was hired so the scientists knew how to capture whatever ugly thing caught their eyes. That was Aymeric¡¯s job. He was not supposed to be a fucking lab janitor.


    He placed the last of the equipment in the drying station, then flicked the power button. Aymeric dried his hands, and turned around. Petra had stood up and was stretching her arms to the ceiling.


    She was hired as a veterinarian, and her job was to make sure the aliens were stable as they traveled. It wasn¡¯t the glamorous position Luther and Erika held, but at least she got to tend to the aliens. Aymeric didn¡¯t even have clearance to look at the aliens without a babysitter.


    ¡°All done?¡± Aymeric asked.


    ¡°Almost.¡± Petra grabbed her drawing tablet from the table. ¡°I need to check on the Carnifex before I go.¡±


    Which was code for, ¡°I¡¯m going to sketch this weird-ass alien.¡± SmallWorld rules said that no personal recordings or drawings could be made of the aliens, but Petra got away with it. She didn¡¯t sell her sketches; she only wanted to show the aliens to her five-year old boy. The kid was so cute that Petra got away with bending the rules.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll find something to do myself,¡± Aymeric said.


    Petra left for the enclosures.


    Once Aymeric put away the dried lab equipment, he headed for the bridge. Mi-Cha was in the pilot¡¯s seat, back turned to the rest of the ship. She tapped at the screens in front of her.


    Aymeric padded forward.


    Mi-Cha hadn¡¯t turned around. Maybe she knew Aymeric was coming. Probably she didn¡¯t.


    Aymeric held his breath as he drew closer.


    A strand of Mi-Cha¡¯s pink hair waved out of her ponytail.


    Aymeric leapt forward.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± He said.


    Mi-Cha nearly lunged out of her chair.


    Aymeric laughed.


    Mi-Cha glared at him.


    ¡°Fucking asshole. I should have left you on that shit-ass planet,¡± she spat.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to talk about that, actually.¡± Aymeric leaned closer.


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Mi-Cha¡¯s features hardened.


    ¡°I wanted to thank you for not jetting off,¡± Aymeric said.


    ¡°Yeah, well, I was thinkin¡¯ about it,¡± Mi-Cha said. ¡°Glad I didn¡¯t, though. I would have gotten chewed the fuck out.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Aymeric asked.


    Mi-Cha pretended to think.


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s it,¡± she concluded with a grin.


    Aymeric grinned back.


    ¡°You almost through here?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I just need a moment. Then we¡¯ll go to my cabin,¡± Mi-Cha said.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    ? ? ?


    The ship crew were good people, really. Sometimes they got on Naoki¡¯s nerves and he had to remind himself that the crew really were good people. When he talked with Captain Fox Ryder, Naoki usually reminded himself twice.


    The Captain of the Hell¡¯s Ark leaned back in one of the galley¡¯s chairs with a lazy expression, like a cat after he¡¯d gorged. Ryder either didn¡¯t understand what Naoki was saying or he didn¡¯t care. Naoki wasn¡¯t sure which alternative was more frustrating.


    ¡°I mean it, Ryder, we are behind schedule. I know a few hours sounds okay, but SmallWorld is strict. If we show up even a minute late, the managers will have questions.¡± Naoki urged.


    ¡°Chill, chill,¡± Ryder said.


    ¡°The managers will not chill,¡± Naoki warned.


    Ryder waved his hand between the two, as if he could wipe the concerns away. SmallWorld might be light years away on Earth, but the shadow of the corporation reached the Hell¡¯s Ark. As corporate overseer on the ship, Naoki knew that better than anyone.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make it on time,¡± Ryder said. ¡°We don¡¯t need to make any stops from the ass-end of nowhere to Earth. Hell, we might end up early.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Naoki planted his hands on his hips.


    ¡°Yes, really. Look.¡± Ryder¡¯s left eye lit up blue as he accessed his IRIS.


    A message from Ryder appeared in Naoki¡¯s vision, on his own IRIS. He opened it, and saw a flight plan the Captain drew up. At the Ark¡¯s current pace, it should arrive back on Earth a day early.


    ¡°You seeing this?¡± Ryder said.


    ¡°Yes, I see.¡±


    ¡°We got nothing to worry about.¡± Ryder flashed his crooked grin. If the data he sent over was accurate, he was right. Even so, Naoki felt the weight of the company on his back.


    The elevator doors slid open. Theo and Clive stepped out. Theo wore his signature stone-carved expression. Even after the months of flying with Theo, Naoki couldn¡¯t read his emotions. Clive was easier to read. He had a severe expression.


    Theo and Clive approached the table. Ryder turn in his chair to face them.


    ¡°Done early?¡± Ryder asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s an issue,¡± Theo stated.


    ? ? ?


    Son of a bitch.


    Naoki¡¯s expression became guarded.


    Theo should have asked to speak with Ryder alone, or maybe sugarcoated the issue if he really needed to bring it up in front of Naoki.


    Nothing you can do about that now; it¡¯s time for damage control.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ryder hauled himself to his feet.


    ¡°It¡¯s the¨C¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it in my cabin, alright?¡± Ryder cut Theo off.


    ¡°Naoki, I¡¯m sorry to cut this short, but duty calls,¡± Ryder said with an apologetic smile.


    ¡°I hope it¡¯s nothing serious,¡± Naoki said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if it is.¡±


    Ryder guided Theo and Clive to the cabins. Naoki¡¯s eyes bored into his back while he walked.


    This better be simple. Dear God, let it be simple.


    Ryder led his crew into his quarters, then locked the door behind them. He faced Theo and Clive. He wanted to snap at them, but the anger would be misplaced. It wasn¡¯t their fault that the Hell¡¯s Ark sprung yet another mysterious issue.


    Ryder took a deep breath, and breathed out the anger.


    ¡°You know we don¡¯t talk about ship problems in front of the Einsteins. We especially don¡¯t talk about ship problems in front of Naoki,¡± Ryder said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theo rumbled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up over it. Tell me what¡¯s fucked,¡± Ryder said.


    ¡°The starboard engine is unstable,¡± Theo said calmly.


    Oh great, the engine was screwed up. And here Ryder was afraid the problem would be massive, but if Theo was calm about it, then Ryder should be, too.


    Ryder slammed his fist on his desk. His computer and knickknacks wobbled. He rose his fist off the desk. The side he¡¯d slammed against the desk throbbed. He wanted to slam his fist down again, but he was sure a few scientists were in the cabins, too. He didn¡¯t want to disturb them.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ryder nodded. ¡°How unstable is unstable, exactly?¡±


    ¡°We need to slow down and make repairs,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You know, Naoki says we¡¯re running a few hours behind schedule, and that¡¯s enough to lose us our contract,¡± Ryder said. ¡°I was literally just talking to him about that.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t even suggest a solution.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we take it easy on the engines? A few months shouldn¡¯t be too bad, and once we¡¯re on Earth, we can really fix the old girl up,¡± Ryder said.


    Theo drew a breath.


    ¡°That might work,¡± he said. ¡°I stand by the belief that immediate repairs are the best option.¡±


    ¡°I get it, it is the best solution,¡± Ryder said. ¡°What if we¡­one moment.¡±


    Ryder tapped the comm in his left ear, and pulled Mi-Cha into a conversation.


    ¡°Now? Fuckin¡¯ seriously?¡± Mi-Cha answered.


    ¡°Sorry to wake you, but we need an emergency crew meeting. My cabin, as soon as possible,¡± Ryder said.


    Mi-Cha groaned, but she didn¡¯t list off a string of insults, so that was a good sign.


    A few minutes later, Mi-Cha shoved her way into the room. Her pink hair was out of its ponytail and floating erratically around her face.


    ¡°This better be good,¡± She muttered.


    ¡°The starboard engine¡¯s busted,¡± Ryder said.


    ¡°Shit on a tit! That is not what I wanted to hear!¡±


    ¡°Voices down,¡± Ryder hissed. ¡°Remember, we live right next to the scientists.¡±


    ¡°So what? Nobody can hear shit through these walls,¡± Mi-Cha marched to the edge of the cabin, and rose a fist. When she saw Ryder¡¯s expression, she drew her arm back.


    ¡°Mi-Cha, I need you to take it easy on the thrusters. I mean real easy,¡± Ryder said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I can be delicate?¡± Mi-Cha snorted.


    ¡°I know you can.¡± But Ryder also knew that Mi-Cha liked to open the throttle and jerk the controls around. ¡°I want you to promise me that you¡¯ll be gentle, though.¡±


    ¡°I will. You think I wanna blow up in the middle of bumfuck nowhere?¡± Mi-Cha demanded.


    Ryder turned to Theo and Clive.


    ¡°What can we do about the engines, aside from slowing the whole ship down?¡± Ryder asked.


    ¡°We might be able to temporarily stabilize the engine, but it¡¯s not a guarantee,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Mi-Cha will be careful.¡± Ryder said.


    ¡°Could we explain the situation to SmallWorld when we get into radio range of Earth?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°You expect a bunch of corporate suits to care about ship troubles?¡± Ryder said. ¡°We¡¯re gonna make it on time, and nobody outside this room is gonna know anything¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°So don¡¯t be a pussy,¡± Mi-Cha added.


    Theo nodded to Ryder.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got our tasks,¡± Ryder said. ¡°If anyone asks, we¡¯re doing routine garbage work.¡±


    On that note, the crew funneled out.

 Chapter 5

    After Erika¡¯s little talk with Luther, she expected working with him to be awkward. And it was, for about five minutes. Then the pair fell into their familiar rhythm.


    They first analyzed the Aranea, which was doing fine, then checked on the Carnifex. Petra sat in the monitoring room with her drawing tablet in hand. The Carnifex was awake now, and skittering around its new home.


    Most aliens would run into the glass separating the observation room from the enclosure, but the Carnifex busied itself with the alien flora in its cage.


    ¡°Has the Carnifex done anything all too upsetting?¡± Luther asked.


    ¡°It just woke up and started wandering around the cage. Sometimes out of sight. Though I guess the cameras would pick it up, wherever it goes.¡± Petra glanced between Luther and Erika. ¡°I guess I should get outta here.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re doing some basic observation; you can stay,¡± Luther said.


    ¡°Nah. I should get going as it is. Work¡¯s over and all that.¡± Petra shut her tablet down. Erika caught a glimpse of the sketch she was working on, but not enough to pass judgement. If this drawing was anything like Petra¡¯s other work, it would do the alien justice.


    Petra bounced out of her chair and left the enclosure.


    Erika and Luther checked the Carnifex. Its vitals seemed to be in a good place. The enclosure emulated the Tartarus air perfectly. The only note was how the Carnifex wandered the cage. It examined the plants and metal walls in a way that reminded Erika of someone walking into a room and forgetting why they were there. The aliens always took time to get used to their new homes, but that usually manifested in a more animalistic response. Still, the Carnifex was agitated. It would calm down though, once it realized the cage was safe and meals came regularly. Then Erika and Luther could begin their experiments.


    With the Carnifex finished, the pair headed for the final and most dreadful of the enclosures¨Cthat of the Lamia.


    The creature was a blob of flesh that dragged itself along with boneless limbs. It had no eyes, because its mucous-coated body served as the eyes. At least as far as Erika or Luther could surmise. The Lamia lurched among the foliage in its enclosure, happy as a zoo animal could be.


    Erika and Luther approached the glass.


    A knife scraped up Erika¡¯s spinal column.


    She had seen, captured, and transported many aliens over the course of her SmallWorld employment, but the Lamia was the only one that made Erika¡¯s stomach boil. She had been against capturing the thing, but Luther insisted that SmallWorld would want a creature like this in its zoos. During the hunt, Erika had narrowly avoided being smashed to a pulp by one of the Lamia¡¯s bloated limbs.


    Now it¡¯s time to make the bastard dance.


    Erika headed to the control panel while Luther checked the enclosure¡¯s readings. Erika used the food printer to make the Lamia¡¯s food¨Ca pale nutrient slop. Luther prepared the recording devices. When he finished, he gave Erika a thumbs up, and she returned the gesture. Erika placed the Lamia¡¯s food into the service elevator, shut the compartment, and let the machine work.


    The enclosures came equipped with a variety of ways to feed aliens. The Lamia was usually fed by sending the food elevator low into the enclosure, but for this experiment, the elevator went high, close to the ceiling.


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    The Lamia paused. It detected the food.


    Erika stopped the lift before it reached the ground. The nutrient slop wobbled on its plate.


    The Lamia slithered beneath the platform. It was too high for the creature to reach.


    The experiment was a simple one with a simple goal. In the wild, the scientists observed the Lamia gently swaying their tentacle arms at moments of excitement or anticipation. It was an ugly dance for sure, but SmallWorld would want to know how to make aliens dance or sing or follow human commands. It wasn¡¯t enough to have alien life; that life had to be obedient to the company.


    What makes you so different from the aliens you train? Erika pushed the thought out of mind before it could depress her.


    The Lamia reached a limb out, though a few meters of air separated the alien from the nutrient slop. That should build anticipation, and with anticipation, came a dance.


    Erika leaned forward. Yes the Lamia was ugly and it shouldn¡¯t be on the Hell¡¯s Ark, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. Her heart thumped at light speed, because how could someone not be excited to see something that no one else had? At Erika¡¯s side, Luther leaned forward, too.


    The Lamia reached out again, as if a second attempt would bring the food closer. It lurched across the floor, crushing plants under its bulk. It swiped out this time. Its limb crashed onto the ground with a boom. Erika felt the ground tremble under her feet.


    The Lamia drew its limbs close to its body. In the wild, the Lamia drew its limbs in before it began the dance.


    Erika held her breath.


    The Lamia¡¯s limb shot out impossibly far. It hit the food dispenser, making it swing upside down. The food splattered onto the ground.


    The Lamia roared. It descended upon the fallen slop, and scraped it into its gaping hole of a mouth.


    Erika sighed through her teeth.


    Luther turned his attention to the console, and tapped away. He was filling out a report on the experiment.


    Erika stared at the controls in front of her.


    ¡°This thing,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Something wrong with the dispenser?¡± Luther asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with this entire creature,¡± Erika said. ¡°That was, what, our seventh attempt to make it dance? We should have this figured out by now. Or, something about the Lamia¡¯s behavior. All we know is that it doesn¡¯t like to cooperate.¡±


    Erika realized that she didn¡¯t follow orders, either. A smile played on Luther¡¯s lips, because he realized the irony, too. When he saw Erika¡¯s severe expression, he dropped the smile.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t make the Lamia follow instructions, we can let its own behavior shine,¡± Luther said. ¡°I¡¯m sure SmallWorld would like the creature just the way it is.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really think that, do you?¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Well.¡± Luther rubbed his chin. ¡°The Lamia is, on its own, an incredible creature. People would pay to see its corpse, if that¡¯s what we brought.¡±


    Erika pressed her lips into a thin line. She wanted to believe Luther, she really did, but some deep part of Erika¡¯s brain wouldn¡¯t let her.


    She returned the food dispenser¡¯s car to its housing.


    ¡°Are we going to run the experiment again?¡± Erika asked.


    Luther¡¯s eye glowed blue as he checked the time on his IRIS.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of it later, after we¡¯ve gotten some rest,¡± Luther said. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Are you tired?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Good. I was hoping it wasn¡¯t just age talking.¡±


    Erika and Luther made a final check on the Lamia and its enclosure, and when they found nothing wrong, they left. The lab was cleaned up and empty.


    You didn¡¯t walk away from the experiment empty-handed. You know the Lamia can stretch its limbs out to reach further than you expected. That could be used for an attraction, if all else fails.


    Erika and Luther stepped into the decontamination chamber, then out of the lab. By that time, Erika had the sketch of an idea.


    ¡°Before we leave,¡± Erika said. ¡°I was thinking that¨C¡±


    A boom.


    The wall lunged at Erika. She put her hands out to catch herself. Through the haze of meds, her shoulder barked in anger.


    Luther stumbled next to Erika. He didn¡¯t manage to catch himself, and slammed his shoulder against the wall. He grimaced, then turned his attention to Erika.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Are you?¡± Erika responded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bruise, but I¡¯ll live.¡± Luther said.


    The Ark¡¯s gravity returned to normal. Erika and Luther stepped away from the wall.


    Erika stared at the ceiling as if it would give her an answer. Then she looked to Luther.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± She asked.

 Chapter 6

    Black dread sloshed in Theo¡¯s veins. He knew what the noise was outside. The engine exploded. The systems reported that the destruction was a malfunction without going into details, though Theo knew exactly what the catastrophe was.


    The elevator opened to the bridge. Ryder, Mi-Cha, and Naoki were gathered there. The Captain nodded to Theo.


    ¡°Can you tell me what¡¯s happening?¡± Naoki asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s been a malfunction, but we can handle it,¡± Ryder answered for Theo.


    ¡°How did a¡­malfunction like this happen?¡± Naoki said.


    Ryder shrugged.


    ¡°Things happen,¡± he said.


    Yes, things happen when you ignore issues aboard your ship. Ryder was trying to downplay the situation though, so Theo had to downplay, too.


    ¡°Well, some of those ¡®things happen,¡¯ include the fucking flight controls.¡± Mi-Cha smacked one of the piloting displays.


    ¡°Are we on course?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Wow. Wow.¡± Mi-Cha rolled her eyes. ¡°Ain¡¯t you supposed to be smart? We¡¯re without power and hurtling toward an asteroid field.¡±


    ¡°Is the asteroid field real?¡± Theo had to ask; Mi-Cha was known to exaggerate.


    ¡°ETA three hours, give or take,¡± Mi-Cha answered.


    The elevator opened again. Clive and the scientists spilled out.


    ¡°It looks like we all had the same idea,¡± Luther said. ¡°Captain, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Some technical difficulties,¡± Ryder said.


    Naoki shot Ryder a look.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have it taken care of; we¡¯re still on schedule,¡± Ryder said. The Captain didn¡¯t even sound like he believed himself.


    He turned to Theo.


    ¡°Would you and Clive be dears and check outside?¡± Ryder asked.


    If Theo had a chance to check the engine earlier, he might have stopped the explosion, and the new issues at hand wouldn¡¯t exist.


    Theo pushed his anger into the corner of his mind.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Theo said.


    He and Clive marched to the airlock.


    ? ? ?


    They were going to be late. Naoki understood that fact like the back of his hand.


    He¡¯d known from the beginning that Captain Ryder and the Hell¡¯s Ark had been a bad bet. He tried convincing the company of that as well, but the higher ups made their choice and weren¡¯t going to back down from it. Now the ship was going to be late reaching Earth, and SmallWorld was going to punish everyone on board. The standard punishment was the loss of wages for the journey.


    Unless you¡¯re able to convince SmallWorld to give everyone a break. Naoki doubted he had that sort of leverage.


    ¡°I enjoy the company, but don¡¯t you guys have something to do?¡± Ryder interrupted the silence.


    ¡°We want to check on the aliens, but the lab locked itself down,¡± Luther said. ¡°Can you do anything about it?¡±


    ¡°If the Ark locked the doors herself, we probably don¡¯t wanna go in,¡± Ryder said.


    ¡°What does that mean for the aliens?¡± Naoki asked.


    Ryder winced.


    Luther and Erika exchanged pained expressions.


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    ¡°It¡¯s a malfunction. Or, at worst, a small breach.¡± Petra spoke up. ¡°People survive those all the time; who¡¯s to say the aliens won¡¯t do the same?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Ryder pointed at Petra. ¡°She¡¯s right. Everything is gonna be fine. I guess we¡¯ll all sit around here as the professionals patch shit up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll write a report then.¡± Naoki turned to the elevator.


    ¡°One moment,¡± Ryder said.


    Naoki turned back around.


    ¡°Hypothetical here: what if we are late? What happens?¡± Ryder asked.


    ¡°SmallWorld won¡¯t pay us,¡± Naoki said.


    ¡°Right. I thought it would be something like that.¡± There was a dangerous glint in Ryder¡¯s eye.


    ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡± Luther asked. He must have seen that flash in Ryder¡¯s eye, too.


    ¡°There¡¯s other places willing to buy aliens,¡± Ryder said. ¡°Even if they¡¯re dead! They don¡¯t give a shit; they just want something new and cool!¡±


    ¡°Please get to the point,¡± Naoki said.


    Ryder¡¯s shoulders sagged.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying fuck SmallWorld,¡± he stated.


    Naoki took a second to realize what Ryder said, then another second to understand the implications.


    ¡°That¡¯s if we don¡¯t make it to Earth on time,¡± Ryder added.


    ¡°I think we could sell the aliens to Frontier,¡± Aymeric said. ¡°They might even pay us more than SmallWorld. Y¡¯know, for turning our back on the corporation.¡±


    ¡°Frontier,¡± Ryder echoed. ¡°Yeah, that sounds good.¡±


    The conversation was getting out of hand.


    ¡°No,¡± Naoki stated. He was the voice of SmallWorld on the Hell¡¯s Ark; he couldn¡¯t stand still while people plotted to betray the company.


    Ryder looked as if he¡¯d been slapped.


    ¡°That¡¯s it? No?¡± He said.


    ¡°I agree with Naoki,¡± Luther said. ¡°More money is nice and all, but we¡¯d have reputations as people who breach their contracts. The short term gain isn¡¯t worth it.¡±


    ¡°Plus, don¡¯t you wanna feel good about yourselves?¡± Petra stepped to Naoki¡¯s side. Erika had silently come to Naoki¡¯s side as well.


    ¡°SmallWorld ain¡¯t gonna pay us,¡± Aymeric said. ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s the point in honor if it doesn¡¯t pay?¡±


    Naoki glanced to the people at his side. He expected someone to step away from him and make a point about betraying the corporation. None did.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna make it on time,¡± Ryder snapped. ¡°But if something does go wrong, I am the captain. We¡¯re gonna land on Earth, but I¡¯ll get to pick where we land.¡±


    It was an empty threat. At least, Naoki thought it was an empty threat.


    The radio crackled to life.


    ¡°This is Theo. We¡¯re outside.¡±


    ¡°Good, alright. Share your screen with me.¡± Ryder turned his back on the scientists. The conversation was over, at least for the moment.


    ? ? ?


    Distant stars glowing blue and red spread across the void, like a painter shook his brush at a black canvas.


    Theo stepped onto the dented and pockmarked surface of the Hell¡¯s Ark. Clive followed him. The pair cut white silhouettes against the dark backdrop.


    The pair walked along the surface of the hull, to the top of the ship, where the engines were housed. The port side thruster glowed blue as it worked. The remnants of the starboard engine jutted off the Ark like blades. No debris floated around the engine, because the force of the explosion launched it away like bullets.


    ¡°Jesus fucking Christ,¡± Ryder muttered. His voice was loud in the silence.


    ¡°Sir, we can¡¯t fix this,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Kind of figured that,¡± Ryder said. ¡°Okay, the labs are still locked down. It looks like there¡¯s a breach. You¡¯ve got your tools, right?¡±


    ¡°We can fix up a hole.¡±


    ¡°As I figured. Mi-Cha still isn¡¯t able to put the ship on course, but she¡¯ll figure it out. You two focus on patching everything up, and maybe we can make back the time we lost.¡± Ryder¡¯s sigh was heavy. He knew the ship would not make up lost time. Everyone knew the Ark was landing on Earth late. Theo couldn¡¯t fix that issue, so he focused on what he could solve.


    He and Clive stepped closer to the destroyed thrusters. Bits of metal were impaled into the ship¡¯s hull, though they hadn¡¯t breached far enough to cause leaks. Theo and Clive walked by the superficial damage.


    A hole had been sheared through the side of the ship. The ragged edges were illuminated from light coming within the ship. The hole was roughly two meters wide, and looked into an alien enclosure. The creature inside was limp on the ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Carnifex!¡± Ryder said. ¡°Oh fuck, you gotta patch that up right now!¡±


    Theo carried only three aluminum sheets for repairs; he would not be able to fix such a large breach. Even if he did, he couldn¡¯t save an alien that was already dead.


    ¡°Here!¡± Clive hurried to a piece of debris lodged into the hull. It was curved, not really suitable for patch jobs, but it was large enough to cover the hole. Clive grabbed an edge and pulled. Theo helped from the other side, and together they pulled the debris from the Ark¡¯s skin.


    ¡°Good! Good! Patch it up, men!¡±


    Theo was tempted to mute Ryder, though he needed to know what was going on within the ship. He and Clive carried the debris to the hole. Clive held the plate in place while Theo used a welder to attach the scrap metal to the hull. Theo worked as fast as he felt was safe. His seams were ugly, and the piece of debris on the side of the ship was uglier, but the patch should be sturdy enough for a few days. Theo and Clive would need to go out again later and make a real patch.


    ¡°Okay, okay¡­¡± Ryder said. ¡°And the lab is pressurizing! Slick work!¡±


    The scientists would not be happy to find one of their assets dead, though. Theo kept that thought to himself so he wouldn¡¯t spoil the good mood.


    He pulled up the diagnostics of the ship, which counted four more hull breaches, all close to the exploded engine.


    ¡°Clive and I will continue patching up the ship,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Right, good. Then you come inside and have yourselves a well-earned drink,¡± Ryder said.


    Theo wouldn¡¯t be able to drink until the situation was completely resolved. A beer sounded nice, though. Theo looked forward to stabilizing the ship.

 Chapter 7

    Everyone was nervous.


    Erika cracked her knuckles, then each individual finger, then went back to her knuckles. Petra paced, two steps in one direction, then two steps back. Aymeric told a hunting story that everyone ignored. Naoki kept his attention on his IRIS instead of the airlock in front of him. He was trying to keep a sense of normalcy, but it wasn¡¯t working.


    Luther stood ready, and kept his attention on the door. He wanted to keep a sense of normalcy too, and though he thought he put up a good front, anxiety whirled around in his gut.


    What happens if the Carnifex is dead? If it¡¯s not dead, how do we revive it? Are the other aliens doing okay? These questions turned and turned in Luther¡¯s head, and he wouldn¡¯t get his answers until he got beyond that heavy airlock door.


    Luther decided that the Carnifex was likely dead. There was no time to return to Tartarus to retrieve a second specimen, and even if there was, the Hell¡¯s Ark herself was in no shape to do anything but drift. Someone would have to tell the company that the Carnifex died in transit.


    Naoki shifted on his feet. His eyes still glowed blue. He would be the one to tell SmallWorld of any disaster that happened aboard the ship. He might have been searching through company manuals in preparation for what came next.


    ¡°The lab¡¯s free to enter,¡± Ryder said over the comms. ¡°Tell me what you find.¡±


    Aymeric slammed his hand on the airlock button, and slipped into the decontamination chamber as the doors slid open. Luther followed him in, and the others came a few steps behind. Aymeric was already at the other end of the hall and mashing the button to open the second door.


    ¡°It won¡¯t open until the decontamination cycle completes,¡± Luther said.


    ¡°I know that, but¨C¡± Aymeric hit the button a few more times.


    ¡°We have to be patient for a moment,¡± Luther said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this!¡± Aymeric slammed his fist on the button once more, then pulled back.


    The decontamination procedure finished, and the door to the lab opened.


    The beakers and test tubes had been properly secured before the explosion, and the equipment left out was too heavy to be jostled from the tables. Aymeric did a good job of cleaning up. Luther would have to praise him later, when there was time to hand out praise.


    Luther guided the group through the lab, and to the Carnifex¡¯s enclosure. The creature lied crumpled in the alien foliage. Luther wavered a step, but quickly regained himself. He marched to the console and pulled up the readings.


    ¡°Erika, please check the enclosure¡¯s condition. Petra, help me check the Carnifex¡¯s health,¡± Luther ordered.


    Petra came to Luther¡¯s side while Erika worked on the other end of the console.


    Luther pulled up the Carnifex¡¯s health reports. The readings spiked when the ship exploded, then quickly dropped to their base levels. That stability continued through the Carnifex¡¯s exposure to the void.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Petra grinned.


    ¡°There¡¯s a slow pressure leak,¡± Erika said. ¡°We¡¯d need to wear EVA suits if we wanted to get into the enclosure.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that will be necessary,¡± Luther said. ¡°The Carnifex, apparently, does will without atmosphere.¡±


    Erika furrowed her brow.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean this is healthy,¡± Luther added. ¡°Petra, can you monitor the Carnifex for a while and make sure everything really is okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Petra groped her side, but her drawing tablet wasn¡¯t there. Her face wavered, then set itself in a determined expression.


    Luther led the remainder of his party to the Lamia¡¯s enclosure. That¡¯s when he realized he had a far larger problem than the Carnifex.


    The Lamia lurched across its enclosure, limbs waving like it was having a seizure. The alien smashed plant analogues in the enclosure. In the back, the metal wall had been torn apart.


    Luther and Erika hurried to the console.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with it?¡± Naoki demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have an answer in just a moment.¡± Luther pulled up the health profile for the Lamia. Its biometrics had been normal right up until the moment the ship exploded. Unlike the Carnifex, however, the Lamia¡¯s readings never went back to normal.


    One of the Lamia¡¯s limbs hit a wall with a dull thud. It left a dent.


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    ¡°It¡¯s never acted like this before, has it?¡± Naoki asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Luther checked the health monitor again. This didn¡¯t look like a seizure, but Luther wouldn¡¯t know what an alien seizure would look like. He wouldn¡¯t know how to stop it, either.


    ¡°The enclosure¡¯s air quality and pressure have shifted out of the Lamia¡¯s comfort zone,¡± Erika announced. ¡°I can¡¯t adjust the settings, though.¡±


    ¡°May I see?¡± Luther stepped to Erika¡¯s side, and checked the enclosure controls. They were, as Erika said, out of place. Luther adjusted some levels, though the numbers didn¡¯t change. He felt Naoki and Aymeric watching over his shoulder.


    Luther tried adjusting the levels again, though the system wouldn¡¯t respond.


    The Lamia thudded against the wall again.


    ¡°There¡¯s controls within the enclosure,¡± Aymeric said. ¡°Maybe the Lamia damaged something while it¡¯s been ratting around.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right.¡± Luther looked up, to the Lamia. The creature threw itself around with greater force.


    You have to go into the cage with that monster.


    ¡°Was the enclosure opened to the void?¡± Luther asked.


    ¡°No. We can¡­we can open the doors,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Okay, but then what?¡± Aymeric pointed at the Lamia.


    ¡°We can¡¯t kill it,¡± Naoki said.


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t,¡± Aymeric muttered.


    ¡°Erika and I developed anesthesia for the aliens,¡± Luther said. ¡°It¡¯s incomplete, but it should do the trick.¡±


    ¡°Will it kill the Lamia?¡± Naoki asked.


    Luther looked to Erika for an answer. She shook her head: she understood the question, but she didn¡¯t have an answer to it.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what the anesthesia will do,¡± Luther said, ¡°but if the creature isn¡¯t subdued, I think it will destroy that cage. We can¡¯t let this thing escape.¡±


    Naoki pressed his lips into a thin line.


    ¡°Okay. Do what you need to make that drug,¡± Naoki said.


    ¡°Hey, uh, that drug might do fuck-all,¡± Aymeric said. ¡°I was thinking, if you didn¡¯t need me right here right now, that I could grab some weapons.¡±


    ¡°Good thinking,¡± Luther said.


    Aymeric hurried out of the enclosure.


    The Lamia slammed against a wall. Luther felt the impact under his feet. It wasn¡¯t going to throw him off-balance, but it was a firm reminder of the situation. As if Luther needed a reminder that the Lamia was a dangerous, uncontrollable monster.


    ¡°Erika, the Aranea still needs to be checked. Can you do that?¡± Luther said.


    Erika nodded, and hurried away.


    ¡°Naoki, can you keep an eye on the Lamia while I make that anesthetic?¡± Luther said. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to order you around though, so if you don¡¯t want to do this, you can leave.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wherever you need me to be,¡± Naoki said.


    ¡°Thank you. I owe you one.¡±


    Luther hurried back to the lab. Aymeric gathered the shock spears from their charging ports, and hurried back to the enclosure with them.


    Luther headed for the lab storage closet, and pulled out his keycard. The lab was kept cordoned off from the rest of the Hell¡¯s Ark as it was, but some things had one more layer of protection. Only Luther, the lead investigator, could access the lab storage and its variety of chemicals.


    Luther swiped his keycard, and the door unlocked.


    He pulled up the anesthesia ingredients on his IRIS, then went through the storage. The room was organized, so Luther quickly found the ingredients he needed. He used the lab equipment to mix the chemicals together. The anesthesia should pose no threat to humans, but Luther should have worn a mask. He should have ordered everyone else to wear a mask, too.


    Just how dangerous is this going to be? What if your calculations are wrong, and the drug kills the Lamia? What if it¡¯s the opposite, and the drug doesn¡¯t do anything to the alien?


    Luther put those thoughts into a drawer, then shut it. He was allowed to feel fear and anxiety and dread, but those weren¡¯t emotions he needed to spread around, so Luther worked with sure hands and a head held high. If he was confident¨Cor at least looked confident¨Chis team would be the same.


    Luther finished the anesthetic in a beaker. He put a cap on it, and brought it to the Lamia¡¯s observation room. Erika, Naoki, and Aymeric were already gathered.


    The Lamia slammed against the glass. Its limb squeaked across the surface and left behind a streak of mucous.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, it¡¯s gonna do that in a zoo, too,¡± Aymeric muttered.


    Luther headed to the side of the room, where a couple of capsules waited. One capsule would carry food out to the Lamia. The second was for liquids and mists. Luther poured the anesthetic into the second capsule, then sealed it.


    ¡°Everything is in place,¡± Luther said. ¡°Aymeric, please hand me a spear.¡±


    Aymeric passed a shock spear into Luther¡¯s hands, and took one in his own. Erika also held a spear.


    ¡°What are you two doing?¡± Luther asked.


    ¡°Everyone knows I¡¯m good with computers; I¡¯ll be able to help,¡± Aymeric said.


    Luther looked to Erika.


    ¡°The Aranea is fine,¡± Erika stated. ¡°After checking it, I came here and showed Naoki how to operate the doors, so we can all go in. That would be best, I think.¡±


    Luther tried to come up with a good reason to keep the rest of the team in the observation room, but the pros outweighed the cons. If something went wrong, it would be better to have multiple people with multiple skillsets on site.


    ¡°Yeah, we should all go in,¡± Luther said.


    I hope to God that anesthetic works.


    Luther stepped up to the main console, navigated the menus, then dispersed the anesthetic.


    A mist fell into the Lamia¡¯s enclosure. The alien screeched. It writhed, but its movement was less coordinated and lacked the power from before. The Lamia collapsed into a heap of pale flesh.


    ¡°Is it still alive?¡± Naoki asked.


    Erika checked the health monitor.


    ¡°Still alive,¡± she announced.


    Luther guided Erika and Aymeric to the side, where the airlock entering the enclosure waited.


    We should be wearing enviro-suits.


    There was no time for that, though.


    ¡°Are you in position?¡± Naoki called over the radio.


    ¡°We are. Open this airlock, please,¡± Luther said.


    The doors hissed, and pulled apart.


    Luther adjusted his grip on his shock spear.


    A mix of alien plants and cold metal greeted the scientists. The air carried a metallic tinge.


    Luther stepped into the enclosure. Erika and Aymeric followed.


    The Lamia was sprawled on the ground. Its skin rippled.


    ¡°We¡¯re in. Shut the doors behind us,¡± Luther said.


    The doors hissed again, then moved back into place. The researchers were sealed in the predator¡¯s den.

 Chapter 8

    The Lamia lifted one limb skyward, then brought it back to the ground.


    Erika paused.


    The Carnifex might be the most dangerous creature aboard the Ark, but the Lamia was a close second. The Lamia were aggressive creatures. They hunted and killed smaller animals for sport, and they constantly fought each other.


    The Lamia¡¯s skin pulsed, but it made no more movement. The anesthesia did its job.


    Erika followed Luther through crushed foliage, toward a piece of equipment in the back. Luther unlocked the door with his keycard, and everyone spilled through.


    The room¡¯s walls were full of mechanical equipment that Erika was unfamiliar with. She always knew the environmental controls were held within the enclosures, but never had a reason to investigate further. She didn¡¯t think that even Luther ever stepped into the enclosure control rooms.


    Aymeric stepped up to a console and tapped away at it. His features scrunched together as he concentrated.


    ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Luther asked.


    ¡°I could use a back massage.¡± Aymeric navigated to a new screen. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if you guys can do anything. For now, sit tight and eat a snack or something.¡±


    Erika busied herself by figuring out what the machines did. The metallic box with the rounded end was the air dispenser¨Cair dispensers were a thing, right? And the large machine making a gurgling noise mixed particles so the enclosure was a close facsimile to the Tartarus air.


    You¡¯ve been breathing that alien atmosphere just fine.


    Erika realized that the group had gone into the enclosure in their normal clothes instead of enviro-suits. The Tartarus air had low toxicity, from what the scientists gathered, so they wore enviro-suits when they had to travel to the planet. The air shouldn¡¯t have caused any damage, long term or otherwise, but Luther erred on the side of caution when it came to topics like breathable air. The enclosure¡¯s air was fine though, or at least didn¡¯t immediately kill everyone. Erika logged that detail in her mind.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re good!¡± Aymeric beat his fist against the console.


    ¡°What did you fix?¡± Luther asked.


    ¡°The Lamia fucked up the main air shaft, so I shifted over to some aux lines; that should be fine for now.¡± Aymeric said.


    ¡°Good thinking,¡± Luther said. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    The scientists stepped out of the control room.


    The Lamia was still in a heap, as the scientists last saw it. The Lamia moved its limbs drunkenly, trying to plant them to the ground, but lacking the strength to succeed.


    Erika adjusted her spear grip. She didn¡¯t plan to lunge at the Lamia, and she didn¡¯t expect it to lunge at her, but Erika was never punished for being careful.


    Erika and the others hurried for the airlock.


    ¡°Naoki, do you read me?¡± Luther said into his IRIS. ¡°The enclosure should be back in working order. Please open the airlock now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± Naoki responded.


    The Lamia groaned.


    It found its footing on shaky limbs. It was six or seven meters away¨Ctoo far to attack¨Cbut it was getting to its feet.


    And the airlock hadn¡¯t opened yet.


    ¡°How do I open the door?¡± Naoki asked.


    Oh.Those were not words Erika wanted to hear.


    ¡°You have to disengage the locks, then press the button. My credentials should already be in the system, so you don¡¯t need to input a password on the locks,¡± Luther said.


    ¡°I have that done, but the doors aren¡¯t opening,¡± Naoki said.


    The Lamia was on its feet.


    Erika stepped back. She figured that the creature wouldn¡¯t have seen anyone yet. A second later, she remembered that the Lamia saw through its skin. If she could see the Lamia, it could see her.


    Erika¡¯s chest tightened.


    ¡°We need those doors open!¡± Aymeric snapped.


    ¡°I know! I can¡¯t get it!¡± Naoki shouted.


    ¡°Are the passwords through?¡± Luther asked.


    ¡°I think so, yes. I can press the button to unlock the doors, but they aren¡¯t working.¡±


    The Lamia lurched toward the scientists.


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    Everyone held their spears ready.


    ¡°Aymeric, is there a chance you unpowered the door?¡± Luther asked.


    ¡°The door controls aren¡¯t even linked to the environmental controls,¡± Aymeric hissed.


    The Lamia shot forward.


    Erika stabbed with her spear. Electricity arced across the Lamia¡¯s skin. The creature slammed into the airlock doors.


    A limb shot out for Erika¡¯s chest. She stumbled to the side, and whacked the limb with her spear. More electricity danced over the Lamia.


    This was when the alien would writhe around and lose its footing. The Lamia stayed on its feet.


    The shock spears worked well against the Lamia when the scientists captured it, so why didn¡¯t they work now?


    The Lamia took another swipe at Erika. She held the spear up to block.


    The Lamia struck so hard the weapon shattered. Its limb continued, and smashed Erika in the chest. She was launched backwards, feet leaving the ground.


    The Lamia adapted to shocks.


    Erika stumbled to the ground. Her chest burned, but she didn¡¯t think anything was broken.


    Luther rushed to Erika¡¯s side and helped her up.


    ¡°We can¡¯t hurt it,¡± Erika mumbled.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get out. Aymeric¡¯s found a way,¡± Luther said.


    The Lamia growled.


    Luther ran, pulling Erika with him.


    Aymeric was on the other side of the enclosure, where the Lamia had tore a hole. Aymeric squeezed through the opening.


    ¡°Go!¡± Luther ordered.


    Erika slipped through the ragged metal. It bit at her exposed arms and tried to snag her shirt, but Erika made it through the gash.


    Luther came in next.


    The Lamia slammed against the wall and dented the metal. A limb slithered into the gash and wriggled around like an oversized maggot. It grabbed the edge of the metal and tore it back. The metal squealed as it came away.


    Erika was left exposed once again.


    She hurried further along the tunnel. Luther followed, then paused.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to keep attacking unless someone distracts it.¡± Luther was planning something. Erika knew it was bad, but she couldn¡¯t figure out what the plan was.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to keep the Lamia busy. You and Aymeric escape,¡± Luther said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you¨C¡±


    Luther shoved Erika forward. Before Erika could protest, Luther slipped out of the hole and into the Lamia enclosure.


    Erika¡¯s instinct was to follow.


    You don¡¯t have a weapon. And what will Luther do if you pop out and try to help?


    Erika hurried through the tunnel, but she wasn¡¯t giving up. The shock spears might have no effect on the Lamia, but something would slow the alien down. Erika was going to find that weapon and come back to help Luther.


    Hold on for me.


    ? ? ?


    Euphoria glided through Luther¡¯s veins.


    The Lamia struck.


    And Luther wasn¡¯t there. He moved faster than he should. He felt more alive than he should.


    ¡°Luther, you¡¯re still in there?¡± Naoki asked. ¡°I¡¯ll keep working on the door. And I¡¯ll let you know when Erika and Aymeric are safe.¡±


    Luther had stepped into the enclosure believing he was on a suicide mission, but that feeling was long gone. He was going to win.


    The Lamia flicked its limb out.


    Luther sidestepped.


    A second limb screamed forward.


    Luther dropped to the ground. The Lamia¡¯s attack cut the air above Luther¡¯s head.


    He scrambled back to his feet, and kited the Lamia. The creature moved toward Luther, and away from the gash in the enclosure.


    That¡¯s right, keep your focus on me.


    The Lamia lunged. Luther intercepted the attack with his shock spear.


    The weapon did nothing, and though Luther knew he couldn¡¯t hurt the Lamia, he was still surprised. Shock spears should hurt.


    A second limb came out.


    Luther held his spear too high.


    The Lamia struck Luther in the arm, and he was sent spiraling to the ground.


    Luther¡¯s arm throbbed with pain. The golden haze of euphoria snapped off.


    Luther was an old man with useless tools fighting a threat the human race had never seen before.


    Luther tried to pick himself up. Pain stabbed down his arm. Something was broken.


    The Lamia struck Luther across the chest. He went through the air and landed on his back.


    ¡°Luther!¡± Naoki shouted over the radio.


    He picked himself up. His chest burned, too.


    The Lamia lurched to the now defenseless Luther. There was nowhere to flee.


    This is bullshit.


    Luther had kids and grandkids waiting for him at home. He needed to see them again.


    You made your decision though, haven¡¯t you?


    Luther took a deep breath, and pushed the negative thoughts out of his head.


    Erika and Aymeric were good friends. If Luther had to die so they could be safe, he would gladly make that sacrifice.


    Luther stared at the Lamia. He took steady breaths.


    ? ? ?


    Erika caught up to Aymeric. Surprise darted across his face.


    ¡°Luther¡¯s still in the enclosure; we have to hurry,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Fuck, really?¡±


    Aymeric went further through the tunnel, and Erika kept up.


    She had already inventoried everything that could be used as a weapon, and so far, her best bet was the net gun. It didn¡¯t rely on electrical damage, or chemical burns, or blunt force. Whatever the Lamia could shrug off, Erika doubted it could shrug off a net. At least, not quickly.


    Erika and Aymeric reached an access door. Aymeric shoved through it, and Erika hurried after. The two punched through a panel and found themselves back in the lab.


    Erika rushed in and snatched up the net gun in the corner.


    ¡°Find anything else that can be a weapon!¡± Erika shouted while she ran for the enclosures.


    Naoki was still at the console. He furiously tapped at the screen, bringing up random menus and commands.


    The Lamia appeared in the observation glass. Luther was there, too. He stumbled toward the window. His arm jutted out at an awkward angle.


    ¡°Naoki, open the door!¡± Erika screamed.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t,¡± Naoki said.


    Erika rushed to the console. Naoki had opened a billion useless windows. Erika pushed them aside, and tried to open the airlock doors. She waited for the telltale hiss of the doors, but nothing happened.


    Something thumped against the glass.


    It was Luther wrapped in the Lamia¡¯s arm. His face was twisted in pain.


    Erika yelped and jumped back.


    ¡°Oh my God.¡± Naoki covered his mouth.


    The arm yanked Luther back, then slammed him against the glass again.


    Something snapped.


    Luther shouted.


    The Lamia threw him to the ground.


    There¡¯s still time.


    The Lamia slammed a limb down.


    A sickening crack.


    The Lamia lifted its limb. It came up with a string of bloody intestines stuck to the bottom.


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± Naoki turned away.


    Erika stumbled back, and slammed into Naoki.


    The Lamia¡¯s limb came down once more.


    Blood splattered against the window.

 Chapter 9

    The Hell¡¯s Ark was not equipped for a funeral service. Even with the danger the crew faced traveling through the unknown, there was an assumption that nobody would die, so there was no need for black clothes or artificial roses. The crew, however, did their best. On the back table in the galley, the group set up an electronic picture frame of Luther, and set his trinkets around it.


    Erika approached the picture of Luther smiling toward the camera. This was the official photo taken by SmallWorld, so the corporation could put a face on its researchers. Luther always claimed his smile looked fake in the picture, but nobody else noticed.


    Erika wished she had another picture of Luther, but the crew never took pictures of themselves. Erika and Luther were camera shy, and no one else felt the need to snap candid photography. If there were other photos of Luther, the crew would have used those in the shrine.


    Mi-Cha cleared her throat from behind, bringing Erika back to the real world. She had lost herself in the photo, but she wasn¡¯t the only person in line.


    Erika glanced to the object in her hand¨Cone of Luther¡¯s favorite movies in a physical case. He insisted on physical media, and if you let him, Luther would give a half hour sermon on the importance of movies and music stored on disks instead of computers. Erika placed the movie next to Luther¡¯s photo, then stepped away.


    We¡¯re gonna miss you. Erika wanted to say the words out loud, but her throat was closed up. If she tried to talk, she would only sob.


    Aymeric was next up. He tried setting his face into a blank mask, but his eyes shimmered with tears. He set a hat on the table, then scurried back. If anyone would have said anything, it was Aymeric. Something had broken inside the man.


    There was evidence suggesting that each decision branched into a parallel universe, and if that was true, then there was a reality where Luther was alive. There was a reality where Erika had been fast enough to save him, a reality where the goddamn airlock doors opened, a reality where the wake wasn¡¯t happening. If that reality was really out there, Erika would escape to it.


    Petra shuffled to the makeshift shrine. Her breath came heavy as she stared at Luther¡¯s photo. A sob escaped her lips. Petra covered her mouth and turned her face away from everyone, but it didn¡¯t mask the crying.


    Erika¡¯s breaths came ragged and tears welled up in her eyes. She faced a wall and rubbed at her eyes as if dust got into them.


    Aymeric made a sound like a laugh. He looked away and wiped his eyes. Mi-Cha fell into a chair and buried her face into her hands.


    Naoki, who was at Erika¡¯s side, patted her on the back. His face was tight, but he¡¯d avoided joining the crying session. He was just as responsible for Luther¡¯s death as Erika, maybe more so. Opening the enclosure doors was a simple task, but Naoki fucked it up, and now Luther was gone. He should have been bawling his eyes out.


    Petra set a necklace next to Luther¡¯s photo, then dragged herself to the far side of the room. Ryder abled up next. He was sniffling. With his bravado gone, he was just a skinny man in a captain¡¯s uniform.


    Erika glanced to the elevator, waiting for the doors to slide open. Luther would step out, see everyone¡¯s sour expression, then say exactly what everyone needed to straighten out their emotions.


    That¡¯s denial. Some analytical part of Erika¡¯s brain kept up with her emotions and reminded her what stage of grief she wallowed in. Erika wished she could turn that part of her brain off. No, what she really wished was to skip straight to the acceptance stage of grief so she wouldn¡¯t have to deal with a flood of miserable emotions.


    Luther would tell you that you should experience grief instead of trying to sweep it away. Yeah, he would.


    More crew members stepped up and left offerings to Luther¡¯s picture. The shrine was small and cheap and silly looking on a galley table, but the Hell¡¯s Ark wasn¡¯t equipped for funerals. Erika stared at the shrine, trying to focus on the good times, but everything turned sour. Luther had an unrestrained laugh, and Erika would never hear it again. He gave warm hugs, and Erika couldn¡¯t remember the last time Luther hugged her. Playing Battlespace with him was a blast, but they would never sit opposite of the board again.


    Naoki stepped forward and blocked out Luther¡¯s photo.


    ¡°I know this is¡­this is a bad time,¡± Naoki said. ¡°However, someone must become the lead investigator.¡±


    ¡°Now? Really!?¡± Mi-Cha demanded. ¡°You can¡¯t even wait for Luther to cool off before¡­¡±


    Mi-Cha slumped back in her chair. Aymeric wrapped his arms around Mi-Cha, and she buried her face into his chest.


    Naoki took a deep breath.


    ¡°Erika, please stand next to me,¡± he said.


    Erika breathed out through her mouth. She forced herself to stand and move to Naoki¡¯s side. What happened next made sense, but Erika didn¡¯t want it to happen.


    Soon, Erika was at Naoki¡¯s side. The corporate overseer faced Erika with a straight posture.


    ¡°Erika, you will become the emergency lead investigator.¡± Naoki said. ¡°I cannot confirm if the company will let you keep this position, but for now, you are in command of the scientists.¡±


    Silence followed.


    Ryder decided to clap. Clive followed a few seconds after, then the rest of the crew followed. It was a half-hearted sound.


    ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like to say?¡± Naoki asked.


    There was a lot Erika wanted to say, and none of it was good. She needed to say something, though.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Erika swallowed. ¡°The title is a temporary thing. We¡¯re in this together, and, uh, Ryder is the captain. Naoki is the overseer. I think they will do a good job leading us.¡±


    Ryder straightened his posture.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Naoki said. ¡°Well, um, I need to write a report.¡±


    Naoki hurried to the cabins.


    Ryder and Erika exchanged looks. Ryder was waiting for Erika to say more, but she was out of words. When the Captain realized this, he cleared his throat and spoke.


    ¡°Ten more minutes,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll take ten minutes to mourn, then we need to get back to work.¡±


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    Erika slinked into a chair. Petra came to Erika¡¯s side, and clapped her on the shoulder. She moved her lips like she was preparing to say something, but she couldn¡¯t get the words out. She stopped herself, then tried again.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Petra whispered.


    Erika didn¡¯t respond, because there was nothing to celebrate.


    ? ? ?


    Naoki stepped through the door to his cabin, and locked it behind him. He leaned against the door, and stared into the room. The bed was still there, sheets still made from the morning. The desk was at the side of the bed, and the laptop on it waited impatiently. That desk was where Naoki would write Luther¡¯s death certificate, and where he could officially promote Erika to lead investigator. First, however, Naoki needed to deal with the main reason he hurried away from the galley.


    He let his mask of calm melt, and faced the situation not as a corporate overseer, but as a human being. Tears welled up in Naoki¡¯s eyes, and he let them roll down his cheeks. He didn¡¯t sob, because Naoki never sobbed. He wiped tears away from his face, but they kept coming. He wished he could have cried with everyone else, but the others couldn¡¯t see Naoki in a weakened state.


    Naoki pulled the clock up on his IRIS, letting the numbers flash in front of his face. When three minutes passed, Naoki shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He rubbed his palms across his face to wipe the tears away, though Naoki still felt their salt on his cheeks. He was tempted to go to the shower room and wash his face, but he had work to do first.


    Naoki lowered himself into his office chair, and booted the computer up. He navigated through the list of template files in the documents. His most used templates, the daily and weekly reports, sat at the top. Naoki scrolled by, and found a folder with two files. One was an incident report for a dead crew member, and the second was an official death certificate. Both were meant to be filled out as soon as possible after a crew member died, and Naoki realized how silly it was now. After spending months together with people on a ship, everyone became a little family. The emotional attachments made it hard to boil someone down to a couple of documents.


    You have a job to do. Do it.


    Naoki opened the files. He started with the death certificate, since it was the shorter form. Naoki started by filling out Luther¡¯s name and the location of his death.


    Luther and Naoki clicked the moment they¡¯d met, and Naoki wasn¡¯t the type of person who clicked with others. In fact, he¡¯d pretty much given up on friendship with anyone he worked with, and stuck with rigid professionalism. Luther gave Naoki a firm handshake when they met, and promised to do his best. When people disagreed with Naoki, they often treated him like some corporate robot. Luther always remembered that Naoki was human. He was the only person Naoki worked with who treated him so kindly.


    Tears welled up in Naoki¡¯s eyes again. He blinked these away. He had his time to cry; now it was time to work.


    He stared at his computer screen, at the boxes a good man had been reduced to. Luther had been good at resolving conflict. Naoki first thought that Luther was simply doing his job by defusing fights, but that was too simple. Luther didn¡¯t see himself as doing a job; he had been helping his friends.


    You. Have. A. Job.


    Yes, Naoki had a job. He had to ensure the SmallWorld executives knew he¡¯d done everything in his power to keep the ship moving on time, and that circumstances out of his control made the Ark late. Circumstances out of his control killed the lead investigator. If Naoki played his cards right, he could escape whatever punishment that would land on everyone else.


    Naoki forced his personal concerns to fill his head, because that kept him from thinking too much about Luther. He popped earbuds in, turned up his music, and got back to work. He finished the death certificate as if he was filling out any other document, then he moved on to the incident report.


    This paper demanded Naoki to actually write out what happened, and it demanded that he write out the events with clinical language. Naoki wrote a couple of sentences describing Luther¡¯s death. He stared at his work for a moment. It was vague¨Cmaybe too vague for SmallWorld.


    Naoki went through the science databases to find footage recorded from the Lamia enclosure. The footage was usually only on the lab servers, though Naoki moved it out before leaving the lab. He knew he was going to need it after Luther¡¯s death.


    Naoki pulled up the video. The Lamia was in frame and unconscious on the film. Luther¡¯s head was visible in the corner of the frame.


    Naoki took a deep breath. Then another. Then he put the video away. He went through the other records from the lab, specifically those regarding the door. The malfunction was the reason the scientists hadn¡¯t made it safely out of the enclosure; that needed to be looked into.


    Naoki checked the status of the door when he had attempted to open it. The door received the order to open, then refused said order. It wasn¡¯t a malfunction. Naoki looked over various failsafes, believing he¡¯d find something that activated, but he found nothing.


    Naoki leaned into his computer screen. If it wasn¡¯t a malfunction, and it wasn¡¯t a failsafe, what was the issue? Naoki toyed with the question for a moment. The door may have malfunctioned, as Naoki suspected. Or someone might have tampered with the door so that it stayed shut.


    A chill went down Naoki¡¯s spine.


    SmallWorld wasn¡¯t the only company setting up alien zoos; Frontier was also in the picture. Before leaving Earth, Naoki heard that a Frontier spy had been found traveling with a SmallWorld ship. That man had been arrested, but there was talk of more spies hiding within SmallWorld¡¯s operations.


    Someone tampered with the doors. Someone was a corporate spy.


    Naoki¡¯s thoughts turned into a jumbled mess of questions, none of which had answers. One thought rose to the surface: Should I tell the others?


    Naoki¡¯s instinct was to keep this information to himself. He could keep the investigation quiet and wait for the saboteur to slip up, though this spy survived for months without alerting anyone. This spy was careful. If Naoki told the crew, he¡¯d have more eyes hunting for the saboteur, but the spy would know they were being hunted. An already careful opponent would keep their head so low that nobody would find them.


    Naoki toyed with both ideas. Then he stood up, leaving his report half-finished, and stepped back into the galley. The crew was still gathered. Luther¡¯s photo smiled from the back table, though the crew kept their distance.


    ¡°Can I have your attention, please!¡± Naoki called.


    Everyone stared.


    Sweat beaded on Naoki¡¯s forehead. He should wait before he said anything. He shouldn¡¯t say anything at all.


    It¡¯s too late to turn back.


    Naoki swallowed, then spoke. He watched everyone¡¯s faces as he told the story about the door malfunction and the spy hiding aboard the ship. Nobody made any weird twitches, or did anything to indicate that they felt guilty. Whoever the spy was, they were a good actor.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Ryder shook his head. ¡°Naoki, don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but I think you¡¯re losing it.¡±


    Of course Ryder would want to push this out of mind, like he did with everything else important.


    ¡°If someone sabotaged the doors, someone was trying to kill Luther,¡± Erika whispered.


    ¡°They were trying to kill all of us,¡± Aymeric added. ¡°Wipe out the scientist team, then¡­what?¡±


    ¡°Wipe out the scientists; excuse me?¡± Ryder stood. ¡°That sounds suspiciously like you¡¯re blaming my crew.¡±


    Clive took a place at the Captain¡¯s side. The pair glared at Aymeric, and Aymeric glared back. Erika and Petra watched intently.


    ¡°We should not throw out accusations; we do not have evidence of who is the traitor yet,¡± Naoki stated in a calm tone.


    ¡°We have evidence that you were in charge of the doors!¡± Mi-Cha shouted.


    ¡°Right. Naoki, would you like to explain that one?¡± Ryder demanded.


    ¡°If I¨C¡± Naoki stopped himself. He heard the anger in his voice, and he was certain everyone else did.


    ¡°He can¡¯t explain himself,¡± Mi-Cha sneered.


    ¡°But why would Naoki want to kill us?¡± Aymeric said.


    ¡°Uh, excuse me?¡± Mi-Cha pulled away from Aymeric.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying¨C¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying to back me the fuck up!¡±


    ¡°We have no proof that a sabotage took place!¡± Naoki had to shout so his voice could be heard. ¡°It is purely speculation!¡±


    ¡°Right. We need evidence,¡± Theo spoke up.


    ¡°What!? Theo!¡± Mi-Cha shouted.


    ¡°We need evidence,¡± Theo repeated.


    The shouting match continued so fast that Naoki could only catch snatches of the argument. He kept shouting that the crew needed proof before an accusation could be made, but his voice was lost in the din of the argument.


    Luther¡¯s photo smiled from the corner. If he was there, he would have gotten everyone under control.


    ¡°Oh I think it makes perfect sense!¡± Petra¡¯s fists were balled up tight. She glared at Ryder like an animal ready to attack.


    ¡°I think it makes more sense that you wanted everyone else outta the way!¡± Ryder leaned against a chair. He was trying to look relaxed, but his body was rigid. If Petra swung, she was in for a fight.


    There¡¯s going to be a fight.


    ¡°Everyone!¡± Naoki shouted.


    ¡°Just do it. See what happens.¡± Clive stood at Ryder¡¯s side, fists curled up.


    Naoki opened his mouth to shout again, but he didn¡¯t get the chance. The galley fell into darkness before Naoki could say anything.

 Chapter 10

    Screams filled the darkness. Shards of ice rattled in Ryder¡¯s chest.


    The lights were not the only thing out. Something was seriously wrong with the Ark. The life support failed, and so did the air filters, and in a few minutes, everyone aboard the ship was going to suffocate to death.


    Ryder was going to die.


    The lights came back on, casting a harsh white light into the galley. The air filters hummed.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were wide, and they stood like coiled springs. Petra found Ryder, and glared at him.


    Ryder¡¯s muscles tensed. He didn¡¯t think she would attack, but he¡¯d be ready if she did.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Naoki asked.


    ¡°If you¡¯d give me a second, I can tell you.¡± Ryder pulled up his IRIS.


    An alarm went off.


    The lab¡¯s containment had been breached, as if there wasn¡¯t enough fun for a single day.


    The scientists checked their own IRISes.


    ¡°Theo, figure out why the lights went fucky,¡± Ryder ordered, then he checked on the lab¡¯s door. The main door was fine.


    ¡°Erika, what¡¯s the report?¡± Ryder asked.


    Erika jolted, then turned her wide eyes on Ryder.


    ¡°I, uh¡­¡±


    Ryder resisted the urge to grab Erika by the shoulders and shake the info outta her. If Luther was still around, he would have answer ready as soon as Ryder finished his question. Ryder wished he could access information within the lab, but he didn¡¯t have clearance to do that. SmallWorld didn¡¯t want outsiders tampering with their operation. It made sense, but the ship crew really should have counted as insiders.


    ¡°An alien has breached their enclosure,¡± Erika finally said.


    ¡°Which one?¡± Ryder asked.


    ¡°The systems won¡¯t tell us that.¡± Erika glanced behind Ryder, to Luther¡¯s shrine. Maybe Luther had full access to the lab, but Erika did not.


    ¡°We need to contain those aliens as soon as possible,¡± Naoki said.


    ¡°Agreed. But we don¡¯t know which species escaped,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Hope to God it isn¡¯t the Lamia,¡± Aymeric muttered.


    The situation was spiraling out of Ryder¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Captain,¡± Theo stepped to Ryder¡¯s side.


    ¡°What?¡± Ryder hadn¡¯t meant to snap; he was just getting frustrated.


    ¡°The lights going out was a power fluctuation. I believe there¡¯s something wrong with the reactor,¡± Theo said.


    Ryder glanced to Naoki. The overseer was too busy talking with the scientists to have heard.


    ¡°Get geared up and fix that,¡± Ryder whispered.


    Theo and Clive marched away.


    Mi-Cha stood to the side and watched the scientists talk.


    ¡°Mi-Cha, please check the pilot controls,¡± Ryder said.


    ¡°They were fucked before, why would they be any different now?¡± Mi-Cha asked.


    ¡°Check the fucking controls,¡± Ryder growled, and this time, he did mean to snap.


    Mi-Cha¡¯s nostrils flared. Ryder thought she was going to flip him off and make herself comfortable in a chair, but she marched to the elevator like she was supposed to.


    ¡°¨Ca few weapons are still on the shuttle,¡± Aymeric said.


    ¡°Do you think it would be enough to¡­¡± Erika trailed off as she got lost in a separate thought.


    ¡°We need to act now,¡± Naoki said.


    ¡°Where are you guys at?¡± Ryder asked.


    Naoki glanced at Ryder with a guarded expression.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to go into this lab unless we¡¯re one hundred percent ready for whatever we find,¡± Aymeric said. ¡°The few shock spears in the shuttle probably won¡¯t be enough.¡±


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    Naoki turned his attention back to the scientists.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make it enough,¡± Petra said.


    ¡°Jesus Christ, you can¡¯t ¡®positive thinking¡¯ your way outta this mess,¡± Aymeric said.


    ¡°Hello, captain speaking.¡±


    ¡°A little positivity won¡¯t hurt,¡± Petra said. ¡°Besides, I do have faith in us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been too long since the aliens breached containment,¡± Erika muttered.


    Ryder glared at the group.


    This was his ship, dammit.


    He pulled up the Captain¡¯s Override program on his IRIS. He didn¡¯t have access to the lab, thanks to SmallWorld¡¯s regulations, but he could operate the main door and the vents leading to and away from the lab. Ryder locked the entrance, then shuttered the vents. Ryder cut the blaring alarm, too.


    The scientists stopped talking and exchanged confused looks.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Naoki finally turned his attention to Ryder.


    ¡°That alarm was gonna give me a headache,¡± Ryder said. ¡°I turned it off. And I¡¯ve locked the lab down, so the aliens are gonna be stuck inside. You¡¯re welcome, by the way.¡±


    Naoki furrowed his brow.


    ¡°You did all of this remotely?¡± He asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s the Captain¡¯s Override thing. It lets me control the ship. You know, just in case something really bad happens,¡± Ryder said.


    Naoki¡¯s expression fell further. The hell was his problem? Did he want Ryder to do a cartwheel or something?


    ¡°That Captain¡¯s Override allows you to close doors within the labs, huh?¡± Aymeric asked.


    Ryder glanced over Erika and Petra. Their expressions hardened against Ryder. He realized what was going on; they were thinking that Ryder locked everyone in the Lamia enclosure.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Ryder drawled. ¡°Firstly, SmallWorld won¡¯t let me touch anything within that precious lab. Secondly, even if I could, why the flying fuck would I want to kill anyone?¡±


    The scientists exchanged glances with each other.


    ¡°Do you have proof this Captain¡¯s Override doesn¡¯t affect the doors inside the lab?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I just gotta rip out my eyeball and hand it to you,¡± Ryder said. ¡°But I¡¯m not doing that, so you¡¯ll just have to take my word.¡±


    ¡°Instead of worrying about that, maybe we should focus on the aliens?¡± Naoki said. ¡°There¡¯s expensive equipment in the lab that the aliens could destroy.¡±


    Or we could leave them there until we fix up my ship. Ryder was only going to find himself in another argument if he said that, though.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what aliens are loose,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°We just need shock spears. Stick¡¯em with the zappy end,¡± Ryder said.


    ¡°The Lamia¡¯s developed a resistance,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make it work,¡± Ryder said. ¡°Erika, Aymeric, with me. Naoki and Petra, you stay here and¡­rest. We don¡¯t want to clog the hallways.¡±


    ¡°You want to come with us?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°This is my ship. It¡¯s my job to put it right,¡± Ryder said.


    Erika opened her mouth to say something else, but Ryder didn¡¯t need to hear it. He marched into the elevator, forcing Erika and Aymeric to follow into the car. They headed for the third floor.


    The three first stopped at the shuttle bay, where they gathered three shock spears and a single net gun. They only had two nets to fire, though that would be fine. From what Ryder picked up, only the Lamia and Carnifex would need the net gun; the Aranea could be taken down with the spears.


    Ryder guided the group toward the lab airlock, and into the decontamination chamber. Something slammed around in the lab. Ryder adjusted his grip on the shock spear.


    ¡°If you can use the Override on the front door, what about on the decontamination room?¡± Aymeric asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a part of SmallWorld¡¯s untouchable property,¡± Ryder said.


    Aymeric pulled a face. Ryder did his best to ignore it.


    The doors inside opened, and revealed chaos.


    The fleshy alien¨Cthe Lamia¨Cstormed over the desks, throwing chairs and lab equipment through the air. It was chasing after the spider alien¨Cthe Aranea.


    ¡°Oh God,¡± Erika whispered. She stepped back.


    The Lamia slammed its limb down where the Aranea was.


    Ryder winced.


    When the Lamia lifted its arm again, Ryder expected to see a crushed alien. There was nothing. The Aranea had skittered along the wall. The Lamia prepared another attack, and the Aranea darted away.


    Ryder lifted his shock spear, and took a step forward.


    Aymeric ran into the room and leveled the net gun.


    ¡°No!¡± Erika shouted.


    Aymeric fired.


    The net spiraled through the air. It wrapped around the Lamia.


    The Aranea was next.


    Ryder darted toward the creature.


    It slipped into a vent.


    Ryder stabbed into the openings, but he couldn¡¯t hit the Aranea.


    Well, buddy, you can only come back this way.


    ¡°It¡¯s not holding!¡± Aymeric shouted.


    The Lamia¡¯s limbs tore through the netting. The ropes snapped away with twangs that reminded Ryder of guitar string.


    Aymeric jabbed at the Lamia with a shock spear, but the Lamia didn¡¯t care.


    It swiped a limb out and knocked Aymeric off his feet.


    Erika darted into the room and helped Aymeric up.


    ¡°What do we do about this thing?¡± Ryder demanded.


    ¡°Go! Run!¡± Erika and Aymeric darted into the decontamination chamber.


    This was Ryder¡¯s ship, and he could go wherever he wanted.


    Another wire broke.


    Where Ryder wanted to be was in the decontamination chamber.


    He ran for it.


    The Lamia broke through the net.


    Ryder charged into the decontamination chamber, then slammed his fist on the airlock button.


    The Lamia roared. It lurched toward the chamber.


    Ryder leveled his shock spear. It wouldn¡¯t do jack shit against the creature, but Ryder felt good holding it.


    The airlock shut.


    The Lamia slammed against it with enough force to make the floor tremble.


    A second hit.


    Ryder looked over the airlock for damage. There wasn¡¯t any. Yet.


    He marched to the other side, and started the decontamination process. Then he pulled up his IRIS.


    ¡°Okay, any plans about the Lamia?¡± Aymeric asked.


    Erika shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got something,¡± Ryder said. ¡°It¡¯s called, ¡®we don¡¯t go into that lab again,¡¯ and that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°We need to contain the aliens,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°They¡¯re contained in the lab,¡± Ryder answered.


    Erika opened her mouth. Ryder cut her off.


    ¡°You¡¯d rather step in there and get ripped apart like Luther?¡± He said.


    Erika hissed through her teeth. Aymeric glared at him.


    Yeah, bringing up Luther was a low blow, but it was the only way to get the scientists to listen.


    The airlock opened, and Ryder stepped through first. Erika and Aymeric reluctantly followed. Ryder shut the door, then made sure it was locked. If he had a physical key, he would have thrown it away.