Ocean of Stars: Where the Sun Sails [1]

XXII

Oblivious to the frenzied battle taking place behind them, Lopé and Aspen staggered into the room where they were supposed to meet up. They didn't stop to wait to see if Walter was coming. They needed to get out. 

Suddenly, Lopé was aware of frantic running, the sound of something running on all fours. He let go of the doctor--she fell to her knees, her back and arm pulsing with pain-- and he lifted up his rifle, firring at the thing that came bounding towards them. Aspen attempted to move out of the way, but a long black, hard coil hooked her under her stomach and flung her further back into the cathedral. As luck would have it, she landed on a discarded bag, breaking her fall. Gun shots filled her ears as she rolled to her feet. The ache in her back dulling a bit. The entrance had muted sunlight coming in, early morning light, but between her, the light and freedom, was the Alien. It was backing off from Lope's gunfire, and Aspen knew it would go for her. She turned and moved as fast as her battered and bruised body would allow. 

She threw herself into the first room on the right; it held pots and lumps of dried clay, with layers of dust. It was as if David tried the hobby but only for a few days. There were counters all along the walls, several inches above the ground. Aspen found she was just small enough to scoot under, and the lumps of clay on the floor would help hide her. She could only fit if she was on her stomach, her back still a little too sore for her to lay on it. There was a sting as she scooted in, but she ignored it.

The doctor felt a kind of hysteria, or more accurately, frenetic, rise inside her and it felt like she was playing an old game called 'hide and seek' from when she was a child. 

Her arm had just touched the stone-cold wall when the neomorph entered the room. She hadn't gotten a good look at it before and now she could only see it's feet and swinging tail, but from just the color she could tell it was different, and possibly more dangerous than the white ones.

Aspen sucked in her breath, watching the bipedal creature take a few steps into the room. It's hands came down, and it stalked into the room. She squeezed her eyes shut, breathing quietly. 

This was all too familiar. 

* * *

Daniels had heard the firring and pulled out Hallet's rifle. In minutes, the sergeant came stumbling down the oversized steps. Something black flickered by the steps but had vanished before she could discern what it was.

While Daniels had no major injuries, the same could not be said for the Lope. The alien's acidic blood had melted his face half away before the healing agents contained in the emergency medpak had begun to take hold.

"You go on ahead," he said. "Make contact, guide them in."

She hesitated, looking back the way they had come. The looming portal at the top of the stairway was still deserted.

"Where's the captain?"

"Dead. They're all dead." Plainly in distress, he felt his face. Having reached his throat, the damage wrought by the acid was starting to impair his breathing. His chest was heaving. "I've got to rest here a minute, catch my breath. Don't worry about me. I'll be right behind you."

She nodded, turned, and bolted into the open plaza, looking for a suitable landing site away from the sculpted colossi and other buildings. Tennessee would need adequate room in which to put down the cargo lift. Not nearly as maneuverable as the lander and possessing considerably less in the way of fuel and motive power, he would likely only have one shot at a successful touchdown. Everything needed to be right the first time.

As she ran, she yelled into her comm pickup.

"Tennessee—do you read?" Reaching into a belt pouch she pulled out the compact device. "I'm putting out a beacon, and it's going on now!"