'Only I'll be ready for him,' said Sigourney. 'Come on.
She sidled up the ramp, turning constantly in a series of small excited hops to keep the gun pointed at any teeth that might suddenly appear.
There were two seats in the capsule, in front of a very small control panel. There was a big window. There were a couple of small cupboards. And there wasn't much of anything else.
Kirsty pointed to a cupboard and made a gesture to Johnny to open it. She raised her gun.
He opened the door and stood back quickly.
Kirsty seriously menaced a stack of tins.
She caught Johnny's expression.
'Well, he could have been in there,' she said.
'Oh, yes. Sure. Admittedly he'd have to stop to cut his arms and legs off and then curl up really small, but he could have been in there.'
'Hah! Smart comment!'
'Why not try looking under the seat cushions? It's amazing what goes down behind them.'
Kirsty tried to prod behind the control panel without Johnny noticing. He noticed.
'Maybe aliens don't watch the same kind of films we watch?' he said.
'All right, all right, no need to go on about it,' she snarled. She looked at the controls, and pressed a switch. The hatch swung up. The Captain's face appeared on a small screen in the middle of the panel.
'Eight minutes to the Border,' she said.
'Right,' said Kirsty. She shoved a hand down behind her seat cushion, and then looked at Johnny's grin.
'You see aliens everywhere, don't you,' he said.
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'Nothing. Nothing. Just a thought.'
She glowered at him.
There were seat belts. They put them on. Kirsty started to drum her fingers on the panel. She seemed to be looking for something.
'How do we open the doors?' said Johnny.
'All right, all right - it's got to be here somewhere.' She pressed a button. Behind them, the ramp rose up and hissed into place.
Johnny looked around. There really was nowhere for anyone to hide. They were aboard the escape craft. They were safe.
He didn't feel safe. He grabbed Kirsty's arm.
'Wait a minute,' he said urgently. 'I think some- thing's wro-'
The screen flickered into life.
There was a ScreeWee there.
It was the Gunnery Officer.
'Run and hide, human scum,' he said.
They could see the screen behind him; he was on the bridge.
'You? Where is the Captain?' said Johnny.
'She will be dealt with. While you run away.
'No!'
Kirsty nudged him.
'Look, the ScreeWee are safe,' she said. 'The Border is only a few minutes away. We've done it all! You can't chase around after her now! She'll have to take her chances! That's what she'd say if you asked her!'
'But I can't ask her, can I?'
He reached over and pushed a switch. There was a whirring behind them as the ramp slid down.
'I'm going back up there,' he said.
'He'll be waiting for you!'
'Fine.' He picked up the alien gun. 'Which bit's the trigger?'
She rolled her eyes. 'This is stupid!'
'Scared, are you?' said Johnny. His face was pale. 'Me?' She shrugged and snatched the gun. 'I'll take this,' she said. 'I'm used to guns. You'll only make a mess of it.'
12
Just Like The Real Thing
They ran down the ramp and back to the corridor.
'Got a watch on?' said Johnny.
'Yes. We've got more than six minutes.'
'I should have known!' said Johnny, as they ran. 'No- one gets that long to escape! James Bond never turns up with enough time to have a cup of coffee and clean his shoes before he disarms the time bomb! We're playing games again!'
'Calm down!'
'If we find a cat I'm going to kick it!'
The corridors were darker. Water dripped from the ceiling. There was still some steam, hissing out of broken pipes.
They reached a junction.
'Which way?'
Kirsty pointed.
'That way.'
'Are you sure?'
'Of course.'
They disappeared into the gloom.
About thirty seconds later they reappeared, running. 'Oh, yes, of course.'
'Well, they all look the same, actually. It must be this way!'
This one did lead to the wide corridor with the door to the bridge at the far end.
It was open. They could see the blue and white flickering of the big screen.
Kirsty changed her grip on the gun.
'O-kay,' she said. 'No messing about this time, right? No talking?'
'All right.'
'Let's go.'
'How?'
'You walk in there. When he leaps out at you, I'll get him.'
'Oh? I'm bait, am I?'
Kirsty glanced at her wrist.
'You've got four and half minutes to think of some- thing better,' she said. 'Oh, sorry. Four minutes and twenty-five seconds. Hang on, that's twenty seconds now
'I just hope you're good!'
Kirsty patted the gun. 'Regional Champion, remem- ber? Trust me.'
Johnny walked towards the open doorway. He tried to swivel his eyes both ways as he reached it.
'Four minutes and fifteen seconds,' said her voice, far, far behind him.
He halted on the threshold.
'How come you weren't National Champion?' he said.
'I had food poisoning on the day, actually.'
'Oh. Right.'
He stepped through.
Multi-toothed death failed to happen to him. He risked a better look to either side and then, swallowing, upwards as well. 'Nothing here,' he said. 'OK. I'm right behind you.'
On the screen the Border was already much bigger. We're travelling very fast, he thought, and it's still more than four minutes away, and already it's filling the sky. Huge isn't the word for it.
'I can see all round the room,' he said. 'No-one s here.'
'There was a control panel, wasn't there?' said Kirsty. 'Hang on I'm in the doorway now. Yes. It's got to be behind the controls. Go ahead. I'm ready if it leaps out.'
I'm not, he thought. He sidled across the floor until he could just see behind the bank of instruments.
'There's noth ... hold it.'
'What?'
'I think it's the Captain.'
'Is it alive?'
'She. She's a she. You know she's a she. I can't tell. She's just ... lying there. I'll have a look.'
'What good would that do?'
'I'm going to have a look, all right?' 'Careful, then. Stay where I can keep an eye on you. He moved forward, searching the shadows around the edge of the huge room.
It was the Captain, and she was alive. At least, bits of what was probably her chest were going up and down. He knelt beside her. 'Captain?' he whispered. She opened one eye. 'Chosen One?' 'What happened?' 'He was ... waiting. While I ... talked to you he crept in ... hit me
'Where'd he go then?'
'You... must... go. Not much time... left. The fleet...is...' 'You're hurt. I'll get Ki - Sigourney over here Her claw gripped his arm.
'Listen to me! He's going ... to blow up the ship! The fuel ... the power plant ... he's . .
Johnny stood up.
'Is she all right?' Kirsty called out.
'I don't know!'
She was standing in the doorway, outlined against the light.
There was a shadow behind her. As Johnny watched, it spread its arms.
It was bigger than a ScreeWee should be, now. It wasn't a funny alligator - there was still a suggestion of alligator there, but now there was insect, too, and other things ... things that had never existed outside of dreams
Johnny shouted: 'He's behind you!' Then he lowered his head and ran.
Kirsty turned.
You can't trust dreams. If you live inside them, they'll turn on you, carry you along .
He saw Kirsty turn and look up, and up, at the Gun- nery Officer.
The ScreeWee opened his mouth. There were more teeth than he'd had before; rows and rows of them, and every one glistening and sharp.