Science Fiction Smack Down 2017

Challenge 1.2: Demonic Slaughter

Author's Note: For this challenge, I was to use at least three out of five provided quotes. These are the ones I selected:

2) What your soldier wants—really, really wants—is no-one shooting back at him.

4) Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combatting the forces of evil...prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Eat leaden death, demon...

5) Go on, prove me wrong. Destroy the fabric of the universe. See if I care.

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"Set power at ten percent strength and engage the quantum stabilizers," Willis ordered. He pressed a button on the side of his goggles, causing the lenses to tint against the expected brightness of the nearby reactor.

"Power at ten percent," Trent answered. Willis' blond haired assistant moved quickly to a different control panel and pulled two levers down before continuing. "Stabilizers on."

As they'd anticipated, the reactor flared to supernova intensity, filling the room with white light. What was unforeseen was the sudden shift in power levels. Needles on a dozen different indicators flicked all the way over to the right. Red lights began flashing, and alarms blared warnings of disaster.

"Shut it down!" Willis yelled to be heard over the alarms. He attempted to engage the manual override.

Trent hurried between consoles, flipping switches, and pulling levers to break completed circuits.

"It's not responding!" Trent shouted back.

Similar to a cloud of ink released from a squid, the white light from the reactor shifted to black, and the darkness flowed outward in clawing tendrils of energy, some of it spilling out the open window while the rest collected in the middle of the room. The reactor finally deactivated, and the cloud of shadow hovering in the center of the room solidified.

Willis and Trent stared in disbelief at the otherworldly being now in the room with them. Standing nine feet in height, the broad shouldered creature had a skin of ultra-fine scales the color of ash. Leathery wings resembling a giant bat were folded against the protruding spinal bones of the creature, and a tail edged with razor sharp spikes dragged the floor behind it. Prominent teeth resembling tusks jutted past its lips. When the thing opened its eyes, they glowed orange like hot metal.

"What have you meddling mortals done?" the creature rumbled. It tried to take a step but fell to one knee, a clawed hand reaching out to steady itself against the metal decking.

"We were testing out an energy converter," Willis managed to say. "We didn't know anything, I mean anyone, was out there. Who are you?"

"I am Sicarius, Master of the Ninth Infernal Legion!" the creature roared. Darkness seemed to intensify in the room as Sicarius stood to his full height and spread his wings.

"A demon?" Trent whispered, taking a nervous step backwards.

"Did our energy converter transform spiritual energy into a physical form?" Willis questioned his assistant.

"How am I supposed to know?" Trent asked in returned while taking another step toward the lab door.

"Meddling mortals," Sicarius berated. "You're tampering with things you know nothing about."

Gunfire from the exterior courtyard interrupted their conversation. Trent remained where he was by the exit, but Willis hurried to the window to see what was happening. The floor trembled slightly as Sicarius walked over to a different window.

In the courtyard surrounding the scientific research building, guards were firing on a demon identical to Sicarius but smaller in size. Bullets tore through the demon, causing eruptions of black fog instead of blood. The demon crawled toward some metal crates, seeking refuge from the gunfire, but it barely reached them before collapsing.

"What are those fools doing?" Sicarius roared. "Delusor, my second in command, only wishes to speak with your people."

"I disagree," Willis replied, facing the demon in the room with him but staying out of reach. "What your soldier wants—really, really wants—is no-one shooting back at him. It's easier to kill people who don't fight back."

"Small minded fool," Sicarius snarled. "We have knowledge beyond your understanding of things you couldn't even begin to comprehend. Instead of welcoming us and learning from us, your first instinct is to shoot us!"

Willis ran to a locker across the room and flung it open. Sicarius followed with thundering steps. Willis pulled out a double-barrel shotgun and fired one of the shells into the demon's leg. The limb vanished below the knee in a cloud of dark vapor. Sicarius collapsed to the ground.

"My dad gave me this," Willis said, holding up the gun. "I never had a use for it until now, but I'll be sure to thank him when I get back to Earth."

Willis placed his aim on the demon while moving over to the control panel for the converter's reactor. "Ten percent power brought two of you into our plane of existence, where it would seem you are mortal and vulnerable. If we increase power to full, we should be able to bring all of your kind out in the open where we can finally be rid of you."

"You know nothing!" Sicarius spat. "You tore a hole between realities at low power; at full strength, you'll destroy everything you know!"

"Since when does a demon care about preserving life?" Willis asked. "I think you're scared it will work."

"Go on, prove me wrong," Sicarius taunted. "Destroy the fabric of the universe. See if I care."

Willis activated the console. Dark energy surged from the reactor, ripping past the occupants of the room as the demons were pulled into the physical plane and deposited near where they had been in the spiritual realm.

Gunfire intensified in the courtyard as more of the demonic hordes were slaughtered by the well-armed soldiers.

"I'm sure with your vast knowledge, you've heard of the game Doom," Willis stated. "Demons launch a physical attack on a Martian colony and are able to be killed by the marine defending it. You and yours have been a pestilence to mankind since the dawn of creation."

Willis moved away from the control panel and closer to his demonic adversary, gun held ready.

"Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combatting the forces of evil...prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun," Willis continued. He leveled his weapon at Sicarius' forehead. "Eat leaden death, demon!"

Without hesitation or remorse, Willis pulled the trigger.