Astronomicon: Behemoth

Chapter 23 - Walter

Megan struggled to free herself from Aron's iron grip, watching helplessly as the vigorous flame consumed more of Walter with terrifying speed. In just a couple of seconds, the bottom half of his body was gone and the crackling flame seared its way up his torso ending his scream.

It did not occur to her until the flame had consumed all but his head and lower arms that the unsupported parts of him did not collapse to the ground. Instead, they appeared to be locked in place by some invisible force.

She cried out in futile despair as the incinerating flame erased what was left of him, leaving just faint wisps of rapidly dissipating smoke. The E.V.A. suits were supposed to be strongly flame retardant and highly resistant to high temperatures but seemed to have offered no protection at all against the fire.

Megan, hand still reaching for where Walter had been just moments before, just stared in dumb amazement. Part of her refused to accept what she had just seen occur.

"Let's move away from that thing," said Aron remarkably calmly, now pulling her urgently backwards away from the hoop.

"He's...he's...gone!" she murmured, her voice cracking.

"Let's make sure we don't go the same way," he replied, sounding more serious than she was used to.

As the reality of what had just happened hit her, Aron stretched his arm around her life-support pack, as close to putting his arm around her shoulders as was possible in an E.V.A. suit and she let him lead her away to the edge of the platform and help her down onto the floor.

"I shouldn't have let him come along," she whimpered, tears welling in her eyes.

"That's hindsight talking," he responded sternly, "There was no way to know that this was some sort of disintegrating device."

"If I'd made him stay on the ship, he'd still be alive," she snapped angrily.

"And then someone else would have died in his place. How would that be better?" he asked, stepping carefully back up onto the platform.

"What are you doing?"

"Gathering data," he replied matter-of-factly.

"Don't risk it, Aron."

"I won't go any closer than we were before," he replied, "But if we're going to understand this thing, we need all the information we can get."

"Be very careful," she urged.

"I will. I want proper video of how those dials are set."

She watched nervously as he crept slowly back towards the hoop. She almost jumped when a red alert box popped up on her suit's visor display to let her know that she was not breathing. Standing at least half-a-metre further away from the deadly hoop than she had been standing before, he recorded what they assumed were controls on the hoop and then his attention moved to the floor where Walter had been standing.

"There's nothing left; not even ash," he reported before cautiously turning around and coming back towards her.

"I say we seal up this room and declare it off limits," she announced as he stepped off the platform.

"I've no objections to that."

"Let's get back to the others and let them know what's happened."

* * *

"You should stop beating yourself up over this," advised Aron at the meeting Megan had called in the briefing room.

Megan glowered at him. "I should never have brought him along on that expedition. Walter was a techie, a geek, not an explorer."