Ally or Alien: A Sci-Fi Novel (13 page)

"I reckon. As you may, or may not know, we can really multi-task. I could control the station, the vehicle and still focus 100% on our conversation."

"Sounds impressive."

"The result of artificially accelerated evolution," eLoom said.

I.e. godlike creation.

Babies from the tubes.

Bellrock nodded and focused on the horizon of the red landscape. He noticed the transparent dome shield sticking out like a bump. 

"Are you sure it's safe to go that close?"

"94.5%. The biomorph is trapped inside a meter-thick nanotube cage that prevents it from breaking out. The shields are transparent so you can walk up close in guaranteed safety. Its modular design allows an approach from every angle, but you will see that soon."

Which was the reason why he and Dr. Rao took this long-ass journey in the first place. To see if the creature was real and as dangerous as Taurus had claimed it was. But being so close now, even the almighty Bellrock felt his skeleton shaking under the EVA suit. Dr. Rao pushed his face shield past his shoulder and glanced at the dome installation. 

His exact words:

"You have to be kidding me..."

34

123 meters and counting.

Pressure go easy on me, Bellrock thought while staring at the shield from the distance. When they neared the wreckage by about a hundred meters, eLoom 'parked' the glider in the rugged space and fiddled with her equipment. She took out a mechanical frame with two long, bionic robot arms and linked the device to the exo-spine of her body. With a snap, she now controlled four cybernetic arms.

Like Spider-woman, the shell way.

"Here is how we do it. eKazumi, you remain in the glider and stay ready in case we require your driving. Watch for inconsistencies and ping me ASAP."

"Understood."

"Mr. Bellrock and Dr. Rao, you come with me and investigate the biomorph from a safe distance. We have aerial droids supervising the crater from above, but we chose not investigate the hotzone until your arrival. This is, after all, the reason why we waited for your arrival."

Bellrock didn't like getting orders from a Newtype, but her plan was the sound decision. Besides, she did possess the technological superiority and the home advantage. With Dr. Rao by his side, he approached the hotzone and stayed five meters behind eLoom.

One step at a time.

Eyes fixed on the crater dozens of meters up ahead. A lot of mechanical trash pestered the impact zone—probably rubble from the cruiser ship. It was strangely arranged around the wreckage, like some progressive art installation.

Was the biomorph hiding inside the wreckage of the ship?

Probably.

Bellrock clutched his non-lethal PEPS defense weapon and aimed it at the blown-apart hull remains of the cruiser ship.

eLoom shifted her head. 

"That will not do you any good."

Bellrock watched her face and then sheathed the PEPS into his side-holster of his EVA suit.  

Maybe he was being too paranoid, but then again, it was the first time he came in contact with an alien.

A hostile alien.

Heartbeat: shot up.

eLoom's eyes glowed. And it wasn't just because of the sun's reflection.

"It is even more splendid than the last time I’ve seen it.”

Love at second sight.

Distance to the biomorph—11.2 meters.

Man up, Bellrock muttered under his breath.

His mind was being a bitch.

Saying,

You're a damn soldier 

Traversed half the galaxy

Fought in the Separatist War

Single-handedly killed over a hundred enemies.

(well, including a dozen assist kills)

and now

you're gonna freak out facing an alien trash pile?

Pathetic

Pathetic

Pathetic

For once, his mind chatter was right. Bellrock remembered he actually carried balls and took the lead. "Doc, what's your guess?"

Dr. Rao narrowed his eyes and fumbled with his scanner.

"It's very hard to tell from this distance. It looks like a regular wreckage to me. Can we get any closer?"

eLoom shifted her weight to her right foot.

"This is the safest position. Any meter closer could endanger you."

Something was wrong with this picture.

"Is that really the biomorph?"

The female Newtype hesitated.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how do we know this isn't a fabricated space trash pile?"

"Fabricated? Are you implying we created this structure?"

Walking over a diplomatic mine here, so Bellrock disarmed his voice.

Speech was 90% about tone anyways.

"Listen, eLoom, we are here on behalf of Earth. I need more than scrap metal to satisfy our government."

She pondered his statement and came to her conclusion.

"Very well. We can enter the wreckage through an opening if you want."

'Want' was an overstatement.

He didn't want to set a single foot on this damn planet, but he swore to protect his homeland. At least a hundred million people on Earth knew about his mission, and they wanted certainty. Bellrock needed more input, and his partner was the only one who could help him out.

"Doc, what do you think?"

"It's dangerous, but I can't do anything from here. My scanners need to get closer. I need some tangible evidence."

eLoom stepped in-between the two.

"Do not worry, gentlemen. I will lead. If I lose my body, I will be granted another one. You will not."

The men looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Okay, then."

eLoom tiptoed toward an opening of the ship's mighty wreckage. Bellrock and Dr. Rao followed with calculated steps. 

Tension: rising.

Distance to the biomorph: 7.4 meters.

Up close, the wreckage looked even more artificial. Every part, from the wing component to the damaged thrusters, seemed to be connected to each other via an invisible wireframe. And still no movement, neither on the exterior nor the interior of the trash pile. 

Suspense impregnated the air.

Bellrock sweated underneath his helmet.

He readied the PEPS gun and aimed it at the rear of the formation. eLoom spread her four cybernetic arms and approached the hole in the hull.

"Be careful," Dr. Rao said.

"Do not worry."

"Is that close enough?"

"Yes."

Dr. Rao activated his short-range scanner and framed individual parts of the structure. He updated the live-feed on Bellrock's commlink, which was a mini-widescreen touch display wrapped around the right arm of his EVA suit.

Didn't help.

Even with the close-ups, it looked like a ship hull. Only the components of the material showed up, as well as the debris dust and bits from the atmosphere. Useless data to Bellrock.

Dr. Rao said,

"I'm reading a faint energy signature."

"From where?"

"The center of the structure. It's behind the hull plating."

Bellrock grumbled.

"How are we going to check that one out? Remove the plates with our hands and crawl inside?"

Too. Freaking. Dangerous.

"I can help you," eLoom said and used her extra arms to remove a nearby plate from the structure.

The men from Earth stepped back in awe.

"Are you crazy?"

"I told you—my body is replaceable. Stay back and scan."

It felt wrong, but she was right. They needed to remove the armor plates to get a look inside.

To scan whatever awaited them at the core.

Bellrock stood still and watched eLoom taking apart the exterior plates.

He gasped.

"Doctor, update me."

"The heat signature is getting stronger. The energy stream of the entire structure is leading toward that central point."

The heart or brain?

In a way, Bellrock didn't want to know, although he was required to. His gloved hands wrapped the PEPS firearm and held it steady. Not that it would cause any significant damage to the installation, but it did give him a feeling of security. 

Enough to prevent his mind from overheating.

eLoom removed five or six torn-apart plates from the structure and crawled inside the wreckage. Bellrock's scratchy voice halted her.

"eLoom. Please tell me you're not that nuts."

She craned her elegant head.

Seven and a half meters away, but yet so distant.

"What do you mean?"

"You want to crawl into an alien structure?"

"I want to help you get the data."

"No need to get suicidal over it."

"But I am not. Everything is under control."

She walked inside the construct. Bellrock could only see pieces of her body through the crevices of the plates. 

"Stay in visual contact, hear me?"

She seemed to ignore him and looked for evidence. 

Dr. Rao stuttered.

"Um, sir, I'm detecting movement."

Bellrock twisted his helmed head around.

"What, where?"

Stupid question. 

He corrected himself and shouted.

"Get the hell out of there."

Too late.

Mechanical trash parts of the hull's opening squeezed her cybernetic arms and sucked her in. Looked like cables and hull fragments building some sort of choke point inside.

No way.

The Newtype tried to free herself but the structure swallowed her up, piece by piece. Bellrock aimed his PEPS and shot at the rear which dented a few plates and nothing else.

Shit.

It was the weakest weapon for the worst moment.

He ran toward the hull where eLoom stood behind and told Dr. Rao to stay put. Tried to rip a plate apart and shouted, “come here."

She was inside and crawled toward the direction of his voice. Bellrock grabbed eLoom's 'organic' arms and tried to pull her out of the construct. She looked up at him and pursed her blueish lips.

"Forget about me. Leave."

"Shut up."

She offered resistance, but she didn't seem to fight for her life, either.

Bellrock ground his teeth. Pressed her arms with all his might and yanked her from the living structure. One cybernetic arm broke apart and tumbled inside.

Sparks and parts flew like fireflies. 

Bellrock supported eLoom and carried her away from the wreckage while shouting at his partner who seemed to be frosted to the rugged ground.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

"Sir, let me get a close-up image of the interior while its still open. The structure doesn't seem to have any range."

Even in danger, the doc went full geek.

"Rao. Move it."

The scientist shivered but abided. He threw a last glance at the structure as if to say goodbye.

"Yes, sir."

All three left the crater via the dome shield opening which closed after they had dashed through it. Bellrock targeted the hoverglider where eKazumi remained on standby.

"Motor up. We return to the base ASAP."

She looked at eLoom for confirmation and got a lackluster nod as a response.

"Your wish is my wealth."

Back onboard, the thrusters of the hoverglider blasted at the opposite direction of the danger zone. eKazumi mind-steered the vehicle back to the Farsight facility while eLoom lay stretched out in the back seats, accompanied by Bellrock.

"Are you okay?"

"It is nothing," she said while staring at her torn-apart rear.

The back attachment of her extra arm-set seemed warped. Bellrock hoped the damage wasn't as grave as it looked. Either eLoom could read his emotional state, or she just found the right words, because she said,

"Thank tech I have three arms left. Everything is in the green."

"What the hell happened inside?"

"Life," she said.

Bellrock exhaled deeply and sent one last glance at the monstrosity inside the shield crater. The wreckage stood still as if nothing had happened.

Damn thing wasn't dead or inactive at all. It just waited for the right moment to attack.

35

Back at the Farsight outpost, eVax stood in the central hub area like a worried husband longing for his wife. He even sounded mad when eLoom entered his sight, with his arms crossed and his long legs spread apart.

Pure alpha pose.

And Bellrock thought Newtype despised human emotions, especially the negative ones. Funny how inconsistent their behavior was. Artificial or humanoid, what were they now?

eVax stepped forward, focused on eLoom and said,

"Why did you walk inside the structure?"

Bellrock realized he must have been connected with eLoom's visual feed. A feature he wanted to share as well.

eLoom raised her head.

"Our guests needed a clean scan from the structure's core. I tried to help them."

Bellrock added, 

“Don't worry, buddy, she's safe now."

eVax narrowed his eyes. Stepped forward with his chest raised, which must have been an aggressive stance for the Newtype. To Bellrock, it was laughably beta-male. Still, he was curious about what the shell had to offer.

"First of all, I am not your buddy. And if your technology would not be that primitive, you could have analyzed the construction from a safe distance like our aerial droids."

That much was right, Bellrock thought. But he needed to make sure the data was trustworthy. Otherwise, the Newtype could have simply sent all the necessary data to the satellite network of Earth themselves. 

No can do.

Bellrock walked up to eVax and held the eye contact.

A burning light of sight.

eLoom dismantled the tension.

"I am going to the repair module and see if the rest of my arm-attachment can be salvaged. Everything will be alright."

Bellrock nodded and whistled over his young scientist.

"I want you to assemble your drone equipment and do aerial surveillance. Give me some additional high-res scans and close-ups, preferably from every angle. I want our folks back home to have all the footage they need."