Under the desperate look of Will Bailey, Jeff Michigan neck inflates like a balloon and his voice fades into a gurgle. A shapeless mass comes out from his mouth and nostrils. Eyes pop out of their sockets, driven by organic matter that immediately takes on consistency and coagulates into new repugnant tentacles.
Only then Will lets him go, finally realizing that there is nothing to do for his friend. He starts to turn and run desperately towards Macready and out over the gate. The man can take just two steps when some appendages burst out of the creature and dart at him, stabbing him in the back and emerging from his chest. The soldier remains frozen and incredulous, looking as one of the tentacles bends backwards towards his face and opens up lengthwise, revealing a row of dark and shiny thorns. Jaws of another world move quickly on his face while inside his body he perceives the creature growing and expanding as a liquid fire. Other tentacles are wrapped around his chest lifting him from the ground floor. Aware of the imminent end Will turns his head, crossing for a moment the eyes of Macready. There is a silent plea in his bewildered look.
“Forgive me, boy”, the Major whispers, aiming at him. Will gets hit between the eyes, just a moment before the monstrous jaws pounce on his face.
Then Moore pushes the close button inside the door, which slowly begins to close.
Meanwhile Macready throws his backpack containing explosives inside the elevator cab, followed shortly by a triggered incendiary grenade.
“Run!”, Macready shouts to the two scientists.
The three survivors flee, running away from the door that closes without a noise and cuts away the cacophony of sounds coming from inside.
“Keep running! The underground structure is surrounded by meters of concrete and solid rock, and it’s sealed by steel doors over a meter thick, but we can’t rule out that the force of the explosions will reach the surface!”
The three come out of the hangar, rushing in the cold of the inclement desert’s night. They run through a few tens of meters before collapsing to the ground, exhausted and panting.
3…
2…
1…
A distant rumble is barely perceptible, accompanied by a ground tremor that seems to never end.
It takes about ten seconds, then the stillness.
Nobody talks.
In the silence of the night they can hear only their own breathing, which condense into puffs of vapor in the cold indifferent atmosphere.
ALGERIAN DESERT
“One of the blows must have damaged the control system, sir, the helicopter doesn’t respond well to commands!”
Ironside calculates the time, trying to predict the right moment. “Now!”, he shouts to two soldiers with him. With a last effort they push the can over the edge.
The heavy container falls rapidly, hitting the monstrous anemone on the edge of the gaping jaws, digging a deep tear in the tissue and falling beside the creature.
Almost sensing the imminent danger, the tentacles lash the air and the ground trying to surround the object.
Ironside doesn’t waste even a second. He arms a grenade and he waits a while mentally counting, then he throws it straight into the huge mouth bristling with fangs.
“Bishop, let’s get out of here, take us to a safe distance.”
As the helicopter takes off, moving back, the bomb explodes in the air, about a couple of meters from the monstrous body, which is hit by a shower of fire.
The lament that follows, issued by the creature engulfed in flames, has something infernal.
The survivors hold their breath while in their souls echoes a silent exhortation, as if to incite the flames to reach the fuel barrel soon.
When this happens a thunderous roar echoes rumbling in the night. A huge fireball expands on the ground, quickly enveloping everything within more than twenty meters.
The helicopter has a jolt when it’s reached by the shock wave, and then stabilizes. At an order of Ironside then it completes a quick lap around the scene.
What remains of the creature and vehicles is burning, and will continue to do so for much longer.
“Bishop, take us back to the base.”
USA BASE CNT222
The three survivors catch their breath after the run to escape from the base. Emily Moore is crouching on the sand trying to collect her thoughts. Ivanov sits with his face turned to the starry sky.
Something is still not convincing her, she’s still feeling the worrying sensation of having left out an important detail. A shiver runs down her spine and she brings instinctively her right hand to the side pocket of her lab coat, checking the remaining explosive vial. It seems intact to the touch, but she soon realizes that the cap is now smooth, whereas earlier the explosive formed a rough crust.
It must have crumbled without my noticing…
I’m lucky it didn’t explode…
Ivanov is silent, looking up to heaven, where billions of indifferent stars look back at them, with their alien and distant light.
However, the man’s attention isn’t targeting the stars.
Macready also looks up, he can now distinctly hear a low hum, which slowly turns into the sound of an approaching helicopter.
All the while Moore keeps an eye on the Russian sitting on the ground with his knees to his chest.
An important detail…
The collar of the scientist’s lab coat has slipped to the side, exposing his neck. The signs left by the creature when it had grabbed him are clearly visible. The throat is speckled with red bruising.
Red…
The details start to fall into place like the pieces of a mosaic, while the woman experiences rapid flashbacks, reliving of the past events.
The attack of the creature, the escape, the hand cut, the blood of Ivanov… a bluish color because of the poison.
Was that story true after all?
The man seemed sincere and had not attacked her, although they were alone and in the dark.
The scene with the two Ivanov begins to play before the eyes of her mind, and the voice of the Russian echoes in her ears.
The creature lies…
She, while crying in Macready’s room… Ivanov – the one sitting on the sand ahead, and not its replication – kneeling with his hands raised.
To deceive is what it does, look at his hand…
His hand… His hand…
Of course! The cut was no longer purple, it had turned red, like the bruises on his neck!
The creatures communicate telepathically with each other, they can weave the stories they want, supporting each other in order to appear more convincing…
Both men staging that pantomime…
The creature evolves, it learned to sacrifice a part of itself, in order to ensure that the bulk of the body has a chance to survive…
At least one of the two survived…
I have a bio mechanical implants…
Ivanov had actually said that, but he had not had time to show it, because at that time his replication had come out in the open…
To save it and unlock the deadlock situation and suspicions!