14 Surv1v0rs

10

"Jack."
On Dilbert's camera, he saw Reeves standing beside the generator with his hands on top his head. Then quite suddenly, Kaiser's face appeared on the camera. He was holding a gun to Reeves's head.
"That's right, Jack. Come on inside and join us."
Jack looked back into the storm, but the man in the spacesuit was gone. What was that? My imagination?
He opened the door and stepped inside.
"Very clever of you, Kaiser," Reeves was saying.
"You were simply stupid," said Kaiser. "That robot isn't made for combat; it's sensors are too narrow to pick me up out of view if I'm out of reach of its thermal imaging. See, and I was hiding in the ventilation shaft. Too bad you didn't include Michael in your scheme, Reeves, he would have known better. But you always overestimated your brute strength, and underestimated the advantage of a sharp mind."
"So, what's your plan now, genius?" said Reeves, as Jack joined him, pulling off his helmet.
"You already know that," said Kaiser. "I plan to destroy the generator ... and kill every one of you. I'm sorry, but my mission comes first."
"It won't be the slightest bit suspicious that you're the only survivor?" said Jack.
"Atom-7 generators are known for being unstable," said Kaiser. "That was why this one was decommissioned. And here, the settlers blamed our corporation for sabotaging their colony. That was hardly needed; they were ham-fisted from the start—blaming us for gas leaks and explosions at their plants. Of course, it all worked out for our benefit anyway."
"And I see you discovered what Jack and I were plotting," said Reeves. "I figured it was you who finished cutting into the safe and took the gun."
But Kaiser only looked confused. "This gun," he said, holding it up, "is mine. Why do you say that?"
"Didn't you take it from the safe in the plant office?" Jack asked.
"This gun was issued to me," said Kaiser. "And it's the gun you shot Bob Marley with."
"That was yours?" asked Jack.
"After I knocked you out, Bob lunged for it. We struggled with it, and I managed to overpower him. I got his gun and the demolition kit. That's where I got this charge. But I didn't realize he still had the detonator ... and that he had planted another charge in the mining bay."
"Why didn't you shoot him?" Reeves asked.
"I didn't want to kill the only specimen left," said Kaiser. "Thought you would have figured that out by now. I value the virus above anyone's life here. I couldn't risk killing him and losing it. It's worth billions. He told me he had dealt with the containers that held the virus. I thought he meant he had put them in the airlock and had ejected them into space. But no—he meant he had set the other charge in the mining bay to destroy them.
"When he hit the detonator, he thought he'd destroy them all. But that only dispersed the virus," finished Kaiser.
"The corridors were sealed," said Reeves. "The virus couldn't have infected the whole crew that way."
"No," said Kaiser. "But some of it might have survived the crash ... or someone here might be infected. Long after you've all died of hypoxia, I'll be able to perform a proper bio-reading to determine the carrier."
"So, I was right," said Jack. "You do plan to destroy the reactor and watch us all die of hypoxia. But you won't be able to get to the oxygen. I ordered them to guard it."
"I have a gun," said Kaiser. "I can get to the oxygen. Of course, it will be easier if you bring it to me."
"I won't," said Reeves.
"Then I'll kill Jack," said Kaiser, raising the gun at him.
"We'll all die anyway," said Reeves.
"I'll admit there'll be some difficulty getting into Nerva to take the supply of oxygen without being ambushed by those brutes in there, but I could manage it."
"Well I'm not gonna make it easier for you," said Reeves.
"Very well," said Kaiser, and raised the gun at his head.
"Wait," said Reeves, holding up his hand. "I just—I just want to know one thing."
"What is it?" said Kaiser.
"Why did you kill Audrey? Was it because she discovered what you were up to? You had a gun. Why not a bullet to the head? It would have been quick and painless."
"Audrey," said Kaiser. "You know I didn't kill her, Reeves. That was you! Or one of you! Why do you blame me for that?"
"What?" said Jack.
"What are you talking about?" said Reeves. "You used a Laser-bore to kill her in the terraforming plant. I mean, that was barbaric! At least fess up to it!"
"I didn't kill her," said Kaiser. "I was only in the plant to rig the motion detector to the charge. When Audrey came in she didn't see me. She saw a man in a spacesuit. I assume whoever it was was after me, so I ran. I escaped through the ventilation in the office and came here."
"You're lying."
"I don't have a reason to lie. I have a gun. I wouldn't need to use something as inaccurate as a Laser-bore when I have a gun." And he raised the gun at Reeve's head.
But he had no sooner done this, when a beam of ionized light struck his hand and burned a hole right through it.
Kaiser dropped the gun and screamed. He turned just in time to see the silhouette of the spaceman standing in the doorway. "What the hell—" he growled, holding his hand.
As the spaceman entered the generator house, Kaiser took a step backward. "Who—or what are you?"
The spaceman raised its hand again, and another beam caught Kaiser in the chest. Fire erupted from his body. The flame ignited his shirt, and fire lit up his face like a lamp. He gave a cry, stumbled backward, and collapsed on the floor. He arched his back, squirmed in pain, and then went still.
The spaceman stepped heavily into the generator house, its breaths could be heard whirring over his microphone as it approached.
"Decontaminated," a thick, cold voice drawled over the mic.
It came toward them slowly, holding the Laser-bore at chest level.
Jack thought being lasered to death was a terrible way to die.
Reeves and Jack took a step backward, raising their hands.
"Who are you?" Reeves asked shakily, looking toward Kaiser, where the gun lay just feet from his outstretched hand.
The spaceman stopped in place.
"I am you," it said.
Then it unfastened its oxygen hoses. Slowly, it removed its helmet.
Jack couldn't believe his eyes.
"It was you," said Reeves. "You are the survivor. Bob."
Bob looked terrible. His face was covered in blood, his breathing dragged, and one of his eyes was shut and purple.
"How did you survive the crash?" Jack asked.
"One could say it was the grace of God," said Bob Marley, as he turned, nonchalantly, and walked away. "But I should say, through unnatural means. It's a curse." He coughed up blood, then bent over and picked up Kaiser's gun from the floor. "Course, I don't have much time left. Hemo-gel can stop bleeding, but it can't give you new lungs."
"You look like crap," said Reeves.
"I'm half frickin alien, idiot! Course I look like crap! Lost one of my toenails last night. In another day, I'll be contagious, I reckon. But I aint gonna let it take me, and I'm not gonna let it infect anyone else."
"Was—was Kaiser infected?" Reeves asked.
"No," said Bob Marley, turning to him. "But that bastard was contaminated all right. He was contaminated with evil. So was Steve. They were all agents of Centauri, and I had to make them pay for what they did. People like them infected me ... and Neal Wade ... " he said, walking away slowly. "But Audrey Osenberg." And he knelt slowly to the floor, and they saw that he looked anguished to say it. "That poor girl ... I know she didn't deserve to go like that. But I had no choice."
"Wait ... she was the infected one?" asked Jack.
"You could've done it cleaner," said Reeves.
"I didn't mean for her to go that way," said Bob Marley.
"How do you know she was infected?" Jack asked.
"We know," said Bob Marley, looking up at him. "After a while, we can feel who else is infected, Jack."
"Is there anyone else?" Reeves asked.
"No," said Bob Marley, standing up.
"But I don't understand why you're helping us," said Jack. "Audrey—she was one of you."
"I'm a tough sombitch, Jack. The thing—it hasn't taken my mind ... not yet." He stumbled away. "Maybe tomorrow." Then he turned and faced them. "When you return, Earth will be safe. I've done my job. Just—just do one thing for me. When you get back, tell everyone how I stopped it from spreading. Tell them how I stopped the virus that would wipe out mankind."
"You'll be a hero," said Jack.
"Yes, a hero," said Bob Marley. And with that, he raised the gun to his temple.
"No!" cried Jack.
But the shot rang out, and Bob slumped to the floor of the generator house.
Reeves looked at Jack. "He had to do it," he said, as the storm continued to howl outside, striking the generator house ferociously. He got up, went over to the control panel and hit the power switch. The power came on, and light flooded the building. They were silent as they watched the pool of blood beneath Bob's head spread across the floor, small tendrils seeking out cracks and limning them with carmine runnels.
Finally, he turned to Jack. "It's finally over. Boy, what a relief."
"Yes," said Jack. "It is." He didn't think Reeves could possibly know how much of a relief it was to hear that. To see Bob Marley return from the dead to acquit him of a terrible monster that had been eating him up inside. At last he was free of any doubt he had about himself ... he was free of the monster inside him. The words of Bob Marley were so redeeming, he felt he was born again ... given a new chance of life ....
... Only ...
Only something was still bothering him. He could not quite put a finger on it.
Then he remembered.
I am you, Bob had said.
What exactly had he meant by that?
Reeves picked up the gun.